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"B. 'g "3) 



First Steps 

in the 
History of Our Country 

Revised Edition 





' ^f^By 








WILLIAM 


a/mowry, 


Ph.D 


.,LL 


.D. 




and 








ARTHUR MAY MOWRY, 


A.M. 






1 


1 









SILVER BURDETT AND COMPANY 

NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO 






STANDARD BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS. 

By WILLIAM A. MOWRY, Ph.D., LL.D. 

First Steps in the History of Our Country. 

In collaboration with Arthur M. Mowry. For lower grades. 
334 pages. 60 cents. 

Essentials of United States History. 

In collaboration with Blanche S. Mowry. For grammar 
grades, x, 434 pages. 90 cents. 

A History of the United States. 

In collaboration with Arthur M. Mowry. For upper grades 
and high schools. 486 pages. $1.00. 

Elements of Civil Government. 

226 pages. 72 cents. With special state editions for Illinois, 
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, 
and Vermont. 

Studies in Civil Government. 

259 pages. 96 cents. 

AMERICA'S GREAT MEN AND THEIR DEEDS 

American Pioneers. 

In collaboration with Blanche S. Mowry. 363 pages. 
65 cents. 

American Heroes and Heroism. 

In collaboration with Arthur M. Mowry. 223 pages. 
60 cents. 

American Inventions and Inventors. 

In collaboration with Arthur M. Mowry. 298 pages. 
65 cents. 

The Territorial Growth of the United States. 

245 pages. $1.50. 

Marcus Whitman and the Early Days of Oregon. 

358 pages. $1.50. ■ 



First Steps in the History of England. 

By Arthur M. Mowry. 324 pages. 70 cents. 



NOV 30 1914 '^ ^'^o 

Copyright, 1898, 1902, 1907 1914, 
By Silver, Burdett and Compaivy 



'aA387766 
^1 



TO 

THE MEMORY OF 

C. E. M. 



Publishers' Note 



The popularity of " First Steps in the History 
of our Country " has been such that the printing 
of the requisite editions has completely worn 
out the original plates. Dr, Mowry has taken 
advantage of the necessity of re-setting the 
type for making new plates, to bring the text 
thoroughly up to date, and to make slight re- 
visions wherever such changes would manifestly 
add to the value of the text. Advantage has 
also been taken of the opportunity to substitute 
many new illustrations, and otherwise to beau- 
tify the typography and embellishment of the 
book. 

While these changes which have been made 
will greatly enhance the beauty and the value 
of the book, it is not anticipated that teachers 
will find difhculty in having the older and the 
new editions used side by side. 

It is with particular pleasure, therefore, that 
this new and improved edition of "First Steps 
in the History of our Country " — already so 
widely used and highly appreciated by teachers 
and young students of our country's history — 
is submitted to the public. 



Preface 

The study of the history of our country is every year becoming 
more and more important. New books for the young on history, 
biography, and historical fiction are constantly appearing. It is now 
very generally admitted that this study should be taken up at an 
earlier age than has hitherto been customary. Everybody now agrees 
that the schools should have an elementary book preceding the regu- 
lar, systematic pursuit of this branch in the two higher grades of the 
grammar school. 

But this preliminary book should not be an " epitome " of the his- 
tory of our country. It ought not to be a history for more ma- 
ture pupils boiled down to a small book for smaller boys and 
girls. Such a book should have no place in the schools. The bio- 
graphical plan has great advantages for beginners in the study of this 
subject. History is a record of events. Events presuppose actors 
who bring about the events. It is the action of men and women 
that makes history both valuable and interesting. 

Another important factor in this elementary study of history is to 
create a love for the study in the minds of the children. It is, there- 
fore, necessary that this early treatise should be written in the most 
entertaining and engaging manner. To this end but few characters 
can be made prominent. The leading events of each period are made 
to cluster around a few leading persons. There are many other great 
personages in the history of our country, but it is by no means neces- 
sary to give them a place in this preliminary book. A proper presen- 
tation of the lives of the " history-makers " will tend to cultivate a 
taste for further reading and study. As an aid to teachers and pupils, 
% select list of books appropriate for supplementary reading has been 
prepared. 

In a book like this, the authors have thought it important to confine 
the attention of the pupils principally to the text itself. Hence they 
have omitted all analyses, reviews, foot-notes, appendices, etc. The 



8 PREFACE. 

thirty-eight chapters may be taken one a week, through the year, or 
two a week, covering half a year. 

Recitations should be both by topics and by questions. A few 
topics have been introduced at the end of each chapter. These are 
merely suggestive, and more should be added by every teacher. Of 
course the topical recitation should be supplemented by questions 
which the teacher will devise at the time, and which will tend to bring 
out the main points of the lesson, especially those that the pupils have 
failed to note in reciting upon the topic. It is expected that each 
teacher will prepare and use his own questions, appropriate to the 
particular class under his mstruction, according to the advancement, 
age, grade, and capacity of the class and the amount of time at his 
disposal. 

The authors accordingly have thought it best not to introduce full 
and complete sets of questions, either to save time or to aid the teacher 
in conducting the recitation. They have, however, presented a few 
typical " thought-questions " at the end of each chapter. These are 
prepared only as hints and pointers, to suggest such a course to the 
teacher as will help to avoid the too usual parrot-like method of study 
— learning the words of the text but not getting down to the thought. 
These questions can be answered by the study of the text and by 
proper thought upon what the text says. Different answers to these 
questions by different pupils are to be encouraged by the teacher. 
Independence of thought and expression is of deep importance. 

In the teaching of history, geographical connections should be con- 
stantly observed. The study of history aids the geography, and the 
geography is everywhere an aid to the history. At the time that the 
pupils are studying history by this book they are usually studying 
geography also. Each will help the other. 

The authors have thought it wise not to introduce many dates. 
Only a few should be memorized at this early period. It is recom- 
mended that all dates in the text which are found in parentheses 
should not he memorized. Neither should the dates at the beginning 
of the chapters, which show the years of the birth and the death of the 
person whose name heads the chapter, be committed to memory. 

W. A. M. 
A. M. M. 



w^^ 







CHAPTER. PAGE. 

I. — Christopher Columbus (The Beggar) ... 15 

II. — Christopher Columbus (The Prince) ... 22 

III. — John Cabot 30 

IV. — Ferdinand de Soto 36 

V. — Sir Walter Raleigh 41 

VI. — John Smith 48 

VII. — William Bradford 56 

VIII. — John Winthrop 64 

IX. — Williams and Hooker 69 

X. — Peter Stuyvesant 75 

XI. — Lord Baltimore 83 

XII. — William Penn 88 

XIII. — King Philip 95 

XIV. — Cavalier de la Salle loi 

XV. — James Wolfe 106 

XVI. — Samuel Adams 114 

XVII. — Paul Revere 124 

XVIII. — George Washington 131 

XIX. — Nathanael Greene 142 

o 



lO CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER. PAGE. 

XX. — Benjamin Franklin 148 

XXI. — George Rogers Clark 159 

XXII. — Alexander Hamilton 168 

XXIII. — Thomas Jefferson 176 

XXIV. — Robert Fulton .186 

XXV. — Stephen Decatur 192 

XXVI. — Andrew Jackson 201 

XXVII. — Calhoun, Clay, Webster 210 

XXVIII. — Samuel Houston 222 

XXIX. — Marcus Whitman 230 

XXX. — Samuel F. B. Morse 237 

XXXI. — Abraham Lincoln 245 

XXXII. — Robert E. Lee 257 

XXXIII. — Ulysses S. Grant 265 

XXXIV. — David G. Farragut 273 

XXXV. — Horace Mann 280 

XXXVI. — Clara Barton ........ 292 

XXXVII.— Thomas A. Edison ..,.».,,. 304 
XXXVIII. — John Hay, Theodore Roosevelt . . . .314 



Illustrations 



" Westward the Course of Empire 
The Nation's Capitol at Washington 

PAGE 

IS 



Columbus in His Study . . 
Columbus Begging Shelter . 
The Ijoy Columbus .... 
Columbus Ridiculed in Court 
Columbus Landing .... 
Flagshij) of Columbus . . . 
Columbus Returning in Chains 
Coat of Arms of Columbus . 
Embarkation of John Cabot 
Cabot's Ship among Icebergs 
A Bear Catching Cod . . . 
The Royal Arms of England 
De Soto's Men in the Swamp 
Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh 
Raleigh and the Queen . . 
Raleigh's Frightened Servant 
Destruction of Settlement by 

dians 

Indian Pipes 

Portrait of Captain John Smith 
Pocahontas Saving Captain Smith 
John Smith Exploring the River 
Indians Wonder at Smith's Writ 
The Marriage of Pocahontas . 
Signature of King James I . . 

A Pilgrim Governor 

A Ship from England .... 

The Mayflower 

The Fireplace in a Pilgrim's Home 
Standish Receiving the Challenge 
The Departure of the Mayflower 
Portrait of Governor Winthrop . 
The Six Ships at Salem .... 



ng> 



IS 
i6 

19 



23 
27 
29 
30 
32 
34 
35 
36 
41 
41 
45 

46 
47 

48 

48 

SI 
52 
S3 
55 
56 
56 
59 
61 
62 

63 

64 
64 



. Frontispiece 

14 

PAGE. 

Governor Endicott's Pear Tree . . 65 
Mrs. Winthrop Preparing to Come 

to America 67 

Roger Williams's Flight 69 

First Church at Salem 70 

Williams Meeting Friendly Indians, 71 
Hooker's Expedition to Connecti- 
cut 73 

Portrait of Peter Stuyvesant ... 75 

View of New Amsterdam .... 75 

Hudson Sailing up the River ... 76 

Stuyvesant and the Petitioners . . 78 

English Fleet at New Amsterdam . So 

Portrait of Lord Baltimore .... 83 

Calvert's Landing 83 

Maryland Cavalier iVotecting a 

Puritan 86 

Portrait of William Penn .... 88 

Penn's House in Philadelphia ... 88 

Penn '-«efore King Charles .... 90 

Penn's Talk with the Indians ... 93 

A Colonial Home near Philadelphia, 94 

King Philip 95 

The Pioneer's Enemy 95 

Annawan as a Prisoner of War . . 99 

Indian Weapons 100 

La Salle Meets the Illinois Indians, 10 1 

A Birch Bark Canoe 105 

Portrait of General Wolfe .... 106 

Quebec in 1760 106 

Wolfe on the Way to Battle ... 108 
English Troops Scaling the Heights 

of Quebec no 



12 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE. 

Portrait of Samuel Adams .... 114 

Old South Church 114 

Faneuil Hall 114 

" We Have No Tea on Our Table," 117 

The Boston Tea Party 119 

New England Colonial Houses . . 122 

Paul Revere Alarming the Country, 1 24 

The Fight at Concord 128 

Flag of Bunker Hill 129 

Revolutionary Musket 130 

Washington at Valley Forge . . . 131 

Mount Vernon 133 

The Washington Elm 134 

Washington's First Sight of the 

Stars and Stripes 137 

Washington at Monmouth .... 139 

Washington at Trenton 140 

Portrait of General Greene .... 142 

Greene Watching British Drill . . 142 

" I Want a Book " 143 

The Fighting at King's Mountain . 145 

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin . . 148 

Franklin and His Kite 148 

Young Franklin Laughed at by His 

Future Wife 150 

Franklin and Queen of France . . 153 

" Independence Hall " 154 

Franklin at the Constitutional Con- 
vention 156 

On the Road to Vincennes .... 159 

Clark Descending the Ohio .... 164 

Pushing into the Northwest ... 167 

Young Hamilton's First Speech . . 168 

Portrait of Alexander Hamilton . . r68 

Hamilton at Yorktown 170 

Washington's Inaugural Journey . 172 

Federal Hall, New York 173 

The Old Continental Money ... 175 

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson . . . 176 
Jefferson Writing Declaraticu of 

Independence 176 

Patrick Henry in His Great Speech, 177 

Napoleon Decides to Sell Louisiana, 181 

Livingston Congratulating Monroe, 182 

Lady and Gentleman of 1800 ... 185 



PAGE. 

Portrait of Robert Fulton .... 186 

A Modem " Ocean Greyhound " . 186 

A Modem Iron-Clad 186 

Fitch's Steamboat 187 

Stevens's Steamboat 188 

The First Trip of Fulton's Clermont, 190 

Statue of Fulton 191 

Portrait of Decatur 192 

Burning the Philadelphia .... 192 
United States Capturing the Mace- 
donian 195 

The Famous Constitution 197 

Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie . . 199 

Portrait of Andrew Jackson . . . 201 

The Capitol in 1825 201 

The British Officer Ordering Young 

Jackson to Clean His Boots . . 202 

The Battle of New Orleans .... 206 

Traveling by Canal Boat 207 

The Early Railway Train .... 208 

Calhoun, Clay, and Webster ... 210 

Webster Replying to Hayne ... 218 

Portrait of Samuel Houston . . . 222 

The Alamo 222 

The " Lone Star " Flag 223 

General Scott before the City of 

Mexico 225 

Searching for Gold in California . . 226 

Across the Continent 230 

" The Ride for Oregon " 233 

The Western Settler's First Home, 235 

Portrait of Samuel F. B. Morse . . 237 

Telegraphing News 237 

Morse's First News of His Success . 240 

Laying an Ocean Cable 243 

Portrait of Abraham Lincoln . . . 245 

Dome of the Capitol 245 

Lincoln's Birthplace 246 

Young Lincoln Studying by Fire- 
light 249 

Fort Sumter, i860, 1864 252 

Portrait of Jefferson Davis .... 253 
Statue of Lincoln Freeing the 

Slave 255 

Portrait of General Lee 257 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



13 



PAGE. 

Arlington, the Home of Lee ... 257 

Confederate Soldiers 258 

Lee and Jackson at Chancellorsville, 260 

Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg . . 262 

Confederate Flags 263 

Portrait of General Grant .... 265 

Union Calvary Fighting 265 

Federal Soldiers 266 

Grant in the Wilderness 268 

Portrait of General Sherman . . . 269 

Grant's Tomb 272 

St. Gaudens' Statue of Farragut . 273 

Attack of Ram on the //ari/orcf . . 273 

Federal Fleet at Mobile Bay ... 273 

Young Farragut and His Father . 274 

Farragut's Mortar Boats 275 

Farragut in the Rigging 277 

Statue of Horace Mann 280 

State House, Boston 280 

Old-Time Country Schoolroom . . 282 

After " Spelling School " 284 



PAGE, 

A Master Mending a Quill Pen . . 286 

The Nation's New Library .... 289 

Portrait of Miss Clara Barton . . 292 

Nurse in the Civil War 292 

Red Cross Nurse on Battlefield . . 297 

The Johnstown Flood 298 

Battleship Maine at Havana . . . 300 

The Maine after the Explosion . . 301 

Portrait of Thomas A. Edison . . 304 

Listening to the Phonograph . . . 304 

Gold Hunters in Alaska 305 

Young Edison Selling Papers , . . 308 

Edison and New York Operator . . 310 

Portrait of McKinley 314 

Reviewing Volunteers 314 

The Oregon 314 

Secretary Long 319 

Admiral Dewey 320 

Winning the Crest of San Juan Hill, 321 

Mr. McKinley and the Engineer . . 327 

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt . . 329 



List of Maps. 



PAGE. 

Map that Columbus Sttidied ... 17 

Route of Columbus 24 

What Columbus Discovered ... 28 

What Cabot Discovered 34 

Long March of De Soto 37 

Where Raleigh's Colony Landed . . 42 
Where John Smith Explored ... 49 
Where the Pilgrims and the Puri- 
tans Settled 57 

Where Baltimore Started His Colony, 84 

French Explorations 104 

America before the French War . . 112 

An.erica after the French War . . 112 



PAGE 

Ride of Revere and Dawes .... 125 

Map of Yorktown 147 

The Young Nation at Its Start . . 158 

The Old " Northwest " 166 

United States in 1802 183 

United States in 1803 183 

United States in 1845 229 

United States in 1846 229 

United States in 1848 229 

The Old " Oregon Country " ... 231 

Battle Map of Eastern Virginia . . 259 

The Civil War 270 




H K 




Christopher Columbus 



1436-1506 



I. THE BEGGAR 



Boyhood. On the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, where the 
peninsula of Italy widens to join the continent of .Europe, 
stands the city of Genoa. Here, more than four hundred and 
fifty years ago, was born a boy who became a great sea-captain 
and who made one of the most famous voyages recorded in the 
history of the world. 

This boy's name was Christopher Columbus. His early 
life was very much like that of many other Italian boys. 
He went to school long enough to know something about 
arithmetic, geography, and astronomy, and to read Latin. 
His father was a wool-comber; that is, a man who combs out 
the wool and prepares it for the weavers. 

For a while Christopher worked at his father's trade, as it 
was the custom at that time for the eldest boy to have the 
same trade as his father. But he soon determined that he 
did not want to stay in Genoa and comb wool all his life. 
Instead, he wanted to go to sea and learn something of the 
world. 

Life at Sea. It is not strange that he had this desire. Genoa 
was a busy seaport town, many of its inhabitants were sailors, 



IS 



i6 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



and vessels were continually coming and going in its beautiful 
harbor. Columbus, like other boys, doubtless enjoyed going 
down to the wharves and hearing the sailors tell stories of the 
countries they had seen. 

When he was about fourteen years old he became a sailor, 
and for years led an adventurous life. He took part in many 
sea-fights and sailed wherever vessels dared to venture. People 
now would not call him a great traveler, but in those days 

sailors were afraid to go far 
from sight of land, and what 
seems to us a short distance 
was then a very long journey. 
The Old World. If we 
should take a map of the 
world as it was known five or 
six hundred years ago and 
compare it with the maps of 
to-day, we should find a great 
difference. There was no 
North or South America, no 
Australia, on the maps that 
Columbus studied. People 
did not even dream that any 
such lands existed. Europe was the only continent that was 
well known. Only the northern portions and some parts of 
the western coast of Africa had been visited, and most of Asia 
was unexplored. 

The unknown lands were thought to be filled with huge 
dragons and other fearful beasts; the men, instead of being 
small like the inhabitants of Europe, were supposed to be 
great and terrible giants. Sailors said that in the Atlantic 
Ocean were monsters so large that they could taTce vessels 




THE BOY COLUMBUS. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



17 



upon their backs and dash them in pieces. Many other fooHsh 
and impossible stories were also believed. 

Marco Polo. When Columbus was a young man, people were 
beginning to get over these notions. The compass had been 
invented, which showed sailors how to direct their vessels, even 




THE MAP THAT COLUMBUS STUDIED. 

when they could not see land, or sun, or stars. Now they were 
able to go farther from the shore. When the terrible things 
which they expected to find did not appear, they grew braver 
and the next time sailed a little farther. 

More than a hundred years before the birth of Columbus, 
a man named Marco Polo wrote a book in which he described 
his travels in Asia. Wonderful stories of countries almost 
unknown were told. He said that these lands were rich in 
gold and jewels, and that fragrant spices and costly woods 
were abundant. Of course people were anxious to see these 
countries and obtain wealth. But to do this they would have 



1 8 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to make an expensive and dangerous journey across Asia on 
camel-back. So some of the wise men thought that if vessels 
could only sail around the southern part of Africa, it would 
be an easier and less costly journey. 

The New Plan. Columbus, while a young man, had been 
doing something more than fighting and sailing from one 
country to another. He had been reading books on geography 
and science, and he had thought and planned until finally an 
idea took complete hold of him. The idea was this. If he 
could sail straight west across the Atlantic Ocean, he thought 
that he would reach the eastern coast of Asia and thus make a 
shorter voyage than that around Africa. This would prove 
that the world was round and not flat, as everybody still 
believed except a few of the most learned men. 

How could Columbus carry out his plan? He had no ships 
and he had no money to buy them. He was obliged to sup- 
port himself by making maps and charts. Besides, only some 
king or prince could send out an expedition such as would 
be needed, and Columbus had no friends at court to take up 
his cause. At the very beginning his plan seemed hopeless, 
and a less persistent man would have given up in despair. 

The Deceit of Portugal. Portugal had been for a long time 
more interested in sending out vessels on voyages of discovery 
than any other country of Europe. Columbus thought that its 
king might listen to his plan and give him help. Therefore he 
went to Lisbon and in time came before the king. King John 
called all his wise men together. They discussed the matter, 
and decided that it was impossible to make a voyage such as 
Columbus planned. 

Some said, however, that there might be something in it, 
and that it would be a shame for Portugal to lose the glory 
of making the discovery. Therefore they decided to send 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



19 



out a vessel privately, without the knowledge of Columbus. 
This vessel sailed westward a few days, and then, because the 
sailors became frightened, came back and reported that the 
voyage could not be made. Columbus was very angry with 
the king when he learned of his deceit. He left Portugal and 
went to try his fortunes at the court of Spain. 
Aid Sought from Spain. Columbus could hardly have chosen 




COLUMBUS RIDICULED IN COURT. 



a more unfortunate time to seek aid from Ferdinand and 
Isabella, the king and queen of Spain. They were in the midst 
of a fierce and costly war against the Moors, who had possession 
of the southern part of the Spanish peninsula. It could 
scarcely be expected that they would be willing to furnish 
money to aid an entire stranger, unless they were quite sure 
that his plan would be successful. Consequently Columbus 
was put off again and again. 



20 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

At one time the king and queen went so far as to ask the 
opinions of the wisest men of the kingdom. These learned 
men laughed at the idea, and brought up all the old arguments 
and superstitions to prove that Columbus was entirely wrong. 
Columbus, however, was not easily discouraged, for he believed 
thoroughly in his plan. A few noblemen became his friends, 
but many thought him crazy. He was called " the man with 
the cloak full of holes." Even the children in the streets 
would point at him as he passed by. 

Discouragement. At last Columbus became quite discour- 
aged and decided to leave Spain. Taking his boy by the hand, 
he started on the long journey to France on foot. One day, 
tired and hungry, they stopped at the door of a convent, and 
Columbus asked for a bit of bread and a cup of water for his 
son. While they were resting, the prior walked by, and see- 
ing the strangers stopped to talk with them. It was not long 
before he drew out the story of the traveler's life. He became 
interested, and he determined, if possible, to keep Columbus in 
Spain. 

Spain*s Opportunity. This good man had once been Queen 
Isabella's priest, and he knew that she would listen to what he 
said. Therefore he kept Columbus at the convent and hurried 
off to see the queen. He told her that Columbus was an honest 
man, and that what he said was true. To be sure, it would 
cost something to help him, but what was a little money 
compared with the glory that would fall to Spain if the voyage 
should be successful? 

Queen Isabella Hstened to the priest's plea and sent for 
Columbus to come back to court. He arrived just as the 
Moors surrendered. Soon after, he was summoned before 
the king and queen to describe his plans again, but he de- 
manded so high a reward if he came back successful that they 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 21 

declared It would be Impossible to help him. He would 
accept nothing less, and again everything was given up. 

Success. Columbus mounted his donkey and started once 
more for France. But the queen soon became sorry that she 
had allowed him to leave. She sent messengers after him in 
great haste to tell him that she had decided to furnish the 
money for ships and provisions for the voyage. Once more 
Columbus turned back. All the long weary years of waiting 
were at an end. At last the time had come to prove to those 
who had made such sport of him that he was not so wholly 
wrong after all. 

Tell the story of Columbus : as a boy ; as a sailor ; at the court of 
King John; at the court of Spain; at the convent; as, at last, he 
obtains aid. 

Give an account of Marco Polo and the effect of his book. 

Explain what was the great idea of Columbus. 

How did the studies of Columbus, when a boy, help him in his 
great discovery? What route of travel did people use in going to Asia 
after spices and jev/els? Why did people think that the earth was not 
round? Why did Columbus seek help from the courts rather than 
from rich men? Why was Columbus angry with the king of Portugal ? 
Why was Columbus nicknamed? What made the prior interested in 
the poor beggar? 




Christopher Columbus 



2. THE PRINCE 



Preparation. We must not think that everything suddenly 
became smooth and easy for Columbus. He must get together 
vessels, men, and provisions, and this was a difficult task. 
Sailors were very superstitious and could scarcely be in- 
duced to go on this unknown voyage. They thought that 
if they went they would never see home and friends again. 
At last two brothers named Pinzon, who had wealth and 
influence, decided to go with Columbus. Others were in- 
duced to join them, and in time three little vessels were 
ready. 

These were very small, not so large as many of our fishing- 
boats. We should consider them hardly fit to sail from one 
port to another along the coast. In fact, only one of the 
three had a deck over the whole vessel. In the other two 
the deck covered only a part of the hold. Is it any wonder 
that the sailors were afraid to go? 

The Departure. Columbus, however, was not afraid. He 
believed he was going to succeed, and succeed he did, though 
not exactly as he expected. He thought that he was going to 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



23 




find the eastern coast of Asia, and King Ferdinand gave him 
a letter of introduction to the king of China. We shall see 
whether he had a chance to use it or not. 

Finally the last good-byes were said, and on one bright sum- 
mer morning the little vessels turned their prows westward and 
were gone. For two days all went well, but on the third one 
of the vessels broke its rudder. For- 
tunately they were not far from the ^ir=' 

Canary Isles; they sailed into port to 
mend the rudder and change the sails of 
one of the vessels. 

Fears of the Sailors. After spending 
nearly a month at the islands, they once 
more set sail and went on day 
after day, though it seemed 
as if each day brought them 
no nearer land. The sailors 
became frightened at the 
length of the voyage, and 
Columbus felt obliged to 
keep from them the true 
number of miles they sailed 
each day. Besides, the nee- 
dle of the compass did not 
point just as it did at home, and the wind always blew from 
the east. The sailors thought that they surely would never 
get home again, for they would need a west wind to help them 
sail back. One day the wind changed and that trouble was 
ended. 

Still every strange thing frightened them, and their fear 
increased as each day went by and no land appeared. At 
one time they talked of throwing Columbus overboard, so 



THE FLAGSHIP OF COLUMBUS. 



24 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



that they might be free to go home. We must not blame 
them too severely for this. They were only poor ignorant 
sailors, and had never before been so far from home. All 
watched eagerly for land; nearly every day some one raised 
the cry of ' ' Land ! ' ' This served only to make them more 
disappointed when what they saw proved to be only a cloud 
on the horizon. 

The Discovery. At last all decided that land must be near. 
Many little birds flew about the vessels ; a fish which only lives 




ROUTE OF COLUMBUS 




near the shore was seen ; a branch with red berries floated by ; 
and a piece of wood, with marks on it that could only have been 
made by men, was picked up. All murmuring ceased, and 
every one was on the watch to be the first to catch sight of 
the long-desired land. 

One night, as Cohimbus stood on the deck of his vessel, 
he thought he saw a light far off in the distance, which flashed 
out brightly several times and then vanished. Later, the cry 
of " Land! land! " came from one of the vessels. This time 
it was no false call. With daylight a beautiful island covered 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 2$ 

with green trees and tropical plants appeared. The vessels 
were anchored; boats were lowered; and Columbus and his 
companions, richly dressed, were rowed to the shore. 

As soon as they landed, Columbus knelt, kissed the earth, 
and gave thanks to God for having brought them safely on 
their voyage. Then he arose, planted his flag, and took pos- 
session in the name of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. We 
must not forget the day on which Columbus reached the island, 
as it is the first important date in the history of the New World. 
It was October 21, 1492 (or October 12 by the old style of 
reckoning). 

The Indians. The inhabitants of the island, who at first 
had been frightened and had fled, now came up, bringing simple 
presents. They had never before seen men with white skins 
or boats with great sails. They thought that the vessels 
were huge birds which had come from heaven, and that the 
men were gods. They gave the newcomers the best they had 
and treated them as superior people. Poor creatures! it was 
not many months before they found that these white people 
were very unlike gods. 

The natives had a dark, copper-colored skin, and wore little 
or no clothing. Their hair was straight and black, their eyes 
were bright, and their bodies well formed. They lived an easy, 
simple life. Everything they needed for food grew abundantly 
and was close at hand. So long as they had plenty to eat and 
shelter from storms, they required nothing else. Columbus 
called them Indians, because he thought that the island was 
off the coast of India. This name they kept, even after it was 
found that they did not live on one of the East Indies, but in a 
new and hitherto wholly unknown part of the world. 

Exploration. After this the vessels sailed from one island to 
another, seeking the rich kingdoms of Asia and gold. But 



26 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Asia did not appear and gold was obtained only in small 
quantities. Among the islands discovered was Hayti, which 
Columbus called Hispaniola or Little Spain. Here his largest 
vessel went ashore through the carelessness of one of the 
sailors, and could not be repaired. 

Columbus decided that this would be a good place to leave 
some of his followers. These men were to make a hom^e on 
the island and put things in readiness, so that others could 
come out from Spain and join the colony. He built a fort 
from the timbers of the wrecked vessel, left on the island about 
forty men, and started back to Spain. 

The Return. It was then winter, and a severe storm came 
on. It seemed as though the vessels would be destroyed and 
all on board lost. Therefore Columbus wrote two accounts of 
his voyage and his discoveries, and put them in two casks. 
These he placed on the deck in such a manner that if the vessel 
sunk they would be washed off. He hoped that in time they 
might float to shore and tell the story of the voyage, even if 
the whole expedition were lost. 

Fortunately, the vessels were not destroyed, and the port 
of Palos was reached in safety. There was great rejoicing in 
Spain at the return of the expedition. A procession was 
formed, in which Columbus rode in state, preceded by the 
Indians whom he had brought back with him and by men 
bearing fruits and treasures from the land which he had 
discovered. 

He was treated like one of Spain's greatest noblemen, and 
was given a seat in the presence of the king and queen while 
he told them the story of the voyage. How different was this 
from his first entrance into Spain! Then he was a poor, 
unknown man — now he was a prince, honored by all. 

The Second Voyage. Almost immediately preparations 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



27 



were made for a second voyage. This time there was no 
difficulty in finding men wilhng to go. Every one, from the 
poorest sailor to the noble in court, wanted to gain a fortune in 
the new land. In a few months, seventeen vessels and fifteen 
hundred men were ready. They reached the islands without 
mishap, and anchored in the 
harbor near which the col- 
ony had been left the year 
before. 

No signs of men or build- 
ings were to be seen. The 
place was deserted and the 
fort completely destroyed. 
Columbus sought another 
place in which to leave his 
new colony. He selected a 
harbor thirty or forty miles 
distant, and commenced to 
build a city. This city, 
the first in the New World, 
was named Isabella, in 
honor of the Queen of 
Spain. 

Mistakes. Now began 
Columbus's misfortunes. He was well fitted for a life of 
exploration ; he was a man of great earnestness and persistence 
of purpose, but he was not a good governor. He made many 
mistakes and more enemies. When it was found that gold 
was not to be picked up everywhere, as was expected, and 
that every one was obliged to work hard to obtain even a 
living, the colonists became very angry and declared that 
Columbus was an impostor. 




COLUMBUS RETURNING IN CHAINS. 



28 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

So many complaints came from the colony to Spain that 
at last Ferdinand sent out a man to look into the truth of the 
stories. He thought it a good opportunity to make himself 
governor; therefore he put Columbus in chains and sent him 
back to Spain. Upon his arrival the people were indignant 
at the treatment he had received. They thought that even if 
he had made mistakes he ought not to have been sent home 
like a common criminal. The king and queen received him 



WHAT COLUMBUS DISCOVERED. 

{The white portions of the map show the land which he saw.) 

kindly and gave him back his property; but they decided 
not to send him again as governor of a colony. 

Death. Columbus made four voyages of discovery in all. 
Soon after his last voyage he died, worn out by his many 
troubles. His body was carried across the Atlantic and buried 
on the Island of Hayti, which he had discovered. When that 
island was ceded to France, his remains were again taken over 
sea and with great pomp deposited in the cathedral in Havana, 
where they remained until 1898, when the Spaniards, after 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



29 



their defeat by the United States, were granted permission to 
take them to Spain. 

To Christopher Columbus belongs the honor of being the 
" Discoverer of the New World," even though it does not 
bear his name and though he died still believing that it was a 
part of Asia. 

Tell the story of the preparations for the voyage ; the voyage itself ; 
the watching for land; the taking possession of the island; the re- 
turn to Spain; the second voyage; the harsh treatment of Columbus; 
his later life. 

Describe the people whom Columbus found on the islands. 

How did the Pinzon brothers aid Columbus? Did Columbus give the 
letter to the king of China? What do you think made the light which 
Columbus saw? How many years have passed since the discovery of 
America? What changed the Indians', idea of the white men? Why 
did Columbus build a fort? How did the Spaniards expect to gain a 
fortune in the new land? What became of the fort and the men 
whom Columbus left behind? 




COAT OF ARMS OF COLUMBUS. 




CHAPTER III 

John Cabot 

The Fabled Islands. On the maps drawn four and five 
hundred years ago, the Atlantic Ocean, instead of a broad 
expanse of water west of Europe, was represented as being 
full of islands. Many stories of these islands were told by 
sailors, who said that land could frequently be seen, lying low 
on the horizon, as the sun set over the western sea. 

Some of the islands w^ere supposed to be large and important, 
especially the Island of Brazil and the Island of the Seven 
Cities. The latter was said to be inhabited by Christians, 
who, years before, had fled from seven cities of Asia under 
their seven bishops, and had taken refuge across the ocean. 

John Cabot. For years the merchants of Bristol, England, 
had sent out vessels to search for these fabled islands. One of 
the commanders of these expeditions was John Cabot. He 
had been one of the foremost in these explorations, as he felt 
quite certain that, somewhere in the western ocean, land could 
be found. Thus far he had been unsuccessful, for he had at no 
time sailed far enough west to reach the coast of the new world. 

John Cabot, like Columbus, was bom at Genoa, but he 



JOHN CABOT, 31 

had lived for many years in Venice and is usually called a 
Venetian. He was a skilled and experienced seaman, who 
had sailed on many waters and had been in many countries. 
He had traveled east as far as Mecca, the holy city of Arabia, 
There he had seen caravans loaded with fragrant spices that 
had come from the far East. He asked those who had charge 
where these spices grew, and received the answer that they 
had been brought by other caravans that had come from still 
farther east. 

The " Matthew." Whether Cabot had reasoned that these 
rich lands of Asia could be reached by sailing west is not certain. 
But as soon as the news of Columbus's discovery reached 
England, Cabot immediately decided that he also could sail 
west and reach the coast of Asia. 

King Henry VH of England, who naturally desired to share 
with Spain in the new discoveries, was pleased at the plan and 
promises of Cabot. He gave him and his sons permission to 
sail, and soon a little ship was made ready for the voyage. 
This vessel was called the Matthew, and had a crew of but 
eighteen men. Three or four other vessels were fitted out for 
trading purposes by the merchants of Bristol. These started 
with Cabot, but it is supposed that they went only a short 
distance and then turned back, leaving the little Matthew 
to sail on alone. 

The Mainland Discovered. Little is known about this 
first voyage, except that it began early in May (1497). Cabot 
probably encountered but few storms or serious hardships, as 
land was reached in June. This land, which Cabot called 
Newfoundland, is now known as Cape Breton Island, and is 
separated from Nova Scotia by a narrow channel. 

Thus Cabot was the first to find the mainland of America. 
Although Columbus had by this time made a second voyage 



32 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



across the Atlantic, he had gone no farther than the islands that 
lie some distance from the coast. Not until the year after 
Cabot discovered the North American continent did Columbus 
succeed in reaching the coast of South America. 

A Barren Land. It was no fertile, tropical land that Cabot 
found, but a barren and unproductive region. No natives 




CABOT S SHIP AMONG ICEBERGS. 



came to the beach to welcome him, thinking that the new- 
comers were gods. So long as the vessel stayed no Indians 
appeared. Still it was decided that there must be some 
inhabitants, as traps set for catching wild animals were dis- 
covered in the woods. A needle for net-making was picked 
up. Besides, many trees were found notched, perhaps to 
guide those who were traveling through the forests. Cabot 



JOHN CABOT. 33 

and his men, however, did not stay long enough to make a very 
thorough search. As they had but Httle food with them, they 
started back to England in a few days. 

Rewards. Their arrival caused the greatest excitement. 
The report was spread that Cabot had discovered the Island of 
the Seven Cities and a portion of the coast of Asia. A writer 
of the time says that the Englishmen followed Cabot " like 
madmen." He was called " the Great Admiral." He dressed 
in silk and was treated like a prince. Cabot, unlike many 
others, did not wish to keep all his good fortune to himself. 
Instead, he wanted his friends and neighbors to share it with 
him. Some he appointed governors, others he made bishops 
over the new land which he had discovered. 

King Henry was so delighted at the success of the expedition 
that he sent its leader the sum of £io, or about $50 of our 
money. This seems a very small sum for a rich king to send 
to a man who had performed such a service as Cabot had. 
But Henry was a miserly king and it probably seemed a large 
sum to him. Besides, money went a great deal further then 
than now. 

The Second Voyage. The next year a larger expedition was 
fitted out. Cabot planned to go west until he reached the land 
he had found the year before. Then he thought that if he 
sailed south he would come to the Island of Cipango, or Japan, 
where he expected to fill his vessel with spices and jewels. 
Five or six ships started out early in the spring. This time 
Cabot sailed farther north than before — so far that the ships 
met many icebergs and the days were so long that there was 
almost no night. The sailors became frightened at the quan- 
tity of ice, and the vessels were turned to the south. 

From Labrador Cabot sailed along the coast of North Amer- 
ica until he nearly reached the peninsula of Florida. Once 



34 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



he tried to form a colony. 
But the soil was barren, the 
men became discouraged, 
and the colony was given up. 
The Fisheries. Although 
the land was for the most 
part improductive, the 
waters were wonderfully 
full of fish. In fact, Cabot 
called the country the 
" Land of the Codfish," be- 
cause the seas contained 
such quantities of cod. The 
bears of the country were 
almost harmless, he said, 
since they could obtain such an abundance of food. They 
were accustomed to swim out iilto the water and catch the 
fish in their claws. Terrible struggles would take place as 
the fish, which were large and strong, tried to get away. The 




WHAT CABOT DISCOVERED. 



W'^fi""//^" 



bears usually came off victors 
and would swim with their 
prey to the shore where they 
would eat it at their leisure. 

The Claim of England. After 
this second voyage no trace of 
Cabot can be found. Whether 
he died on the return trip or 
soon after his arrival in Eng- 
land is not known. Why, then, 
should the boys and girls of 
the United States study the story of this almost unknown man ? 

The reason is that, because of these two voyages of John 




A BEAR CATCHING COD. 



JOHN CABOT. 



35 



Cabot, England laid claim to the whole Atlantic coast from 
Labrador to Florida. Because she laid claim to it, she sent 
out colonists to take possession. And because she sent colo- 
nists, the people of the United States speak the English lan- 
guage. Had it not been for John Cabot, the inhabitants of this 
part of America might now have for their native tongue the 
Spanish language, as do the people of Mexico and most of the 
nations of South America. 

Give an account of the fabled islands. Tell the story of Cabot: in 
early life; on his first voyage; on his return; on his second voyage. 
Tell why Cabot supposed the new land to be inhabited. 
Tell Cabot's story of the fish. 

Do you suppose the fabled islands were really the coast of America, 
or were they low-lying clouds? What was the difference between the 
aid given by Queen Isabella to Columbus and that by King Henry to 
Cabot? Why do some people claim that Cabot and not Columbus dis- 
covered America? Do you think that Cabot ever knew that the land 
he had found was not Asia? Why do you suppose we know so little 
about the life of John Cabot ? 




THE ROYAL ARMS OF ENGLAND. 




Ferdinand de Soto 



1496-1542 

Enthusiasm for Exploration. When it was known that a new 
world had been discovered beyond the Atlantic, great excite- 
ment took possession of the inhabitants of Spain. A splendid 
opportunity was now thrown open to all who were brave and 
adventurous to explore these new regions. 

Those who were poor expected to gain great wealth, and 

those who were already rich wanted to add still more to their 

abundance. Not only was it said that gold, silver, and 

jewels could be obtained in great quantities, but it was also 

reported that somewhere in this new world was a wonderful 

fountain. If any one who was old should bathe in its waters, 

almost immediately his lost youth would return to him. This, 

in the opinion of many, would be of more importance than all 

the gold or jewels in the world. Therefore it was not strange 

that expedition after expedition was sent out, for all were 

anxious to obtain youth and riches. 

36 



FERDINAND DE SOTO. 



37 



Ferdinand de Soto. One of the bravest of the leaders of 
these expeditions was the young and courageous Ferdinand 
de Soto. He belonged to a noble Spanish family, but was so 
poor that when he went on his first voyage he had no outfit but 
his sword and shield. He was the bravest of the brave, how- 
ever, and his valor soon made up for his poverty. He gained 
riches in Peru and was promoted step by step until he became 
governor of Cuba and president of Florida. 

Some one who had been to Florida had said that it was 
the richest country in the world. This traveler, seeing with 
the eyes of imagination, must have thought that the sand, 
sparkling in the sunshine, was gold, and the many 
bright colored flowers 



were jewels. 

The Expedition. But 

everybody shared fully 
in the belief that 
America was fabulously 
rich, and thousands 
were eager to go. So 
many prepared for the 
voyage that the ships 
could not hold them, 
and thus, disappointed, 
some had to stay be- 
hind. 




THE LONG MARCH OF DE SOTO. 



On a Sunday morning in early springtime (1539), seven 
ships set sail, with De Soto and six hundred eager compan- 
ions on board. 

After touching at Cuba, De Soto arrived at Tampa Bay, 
on the western coast of Florida, without disaster. His plan 
was to go anywhere and everywhere in search of gold. In 



38 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

his endeavor to capture some Indians who would serve as 
guides and interpreters, he met with a remarkable piece of good 
fortune. He came upon a Spaniard, John Ortiz, who had been 
seized by the Indians many years before. He had lived with 
the red men, first as a captive cruelly treated, and afterward as 
a friend and counselor ; consequently he knew their language 
and customs perfectly. No better guide and interpreter could 
have been found, and he was not at all unwilling to leave his 
Indian friends and cast in his lot with De Soto. 

A Terrible Journey. Now began a terrible march, north- 
ward and westward. The ground was covered with thick 
woods. Vines and tangled creepers ran from tree to tree. 
There were no roads except here and there Indian trails. The 
country was full of bogs and marshes, in which the horses stuck 
fast and sank. Every few miles rivers were reached — some 
wide, some narrow. When the travelers came to one that 
could not be forded, they made a rude bridge of trees; if the 
river was especially wide, they built boats. At times pro- 
visions were scarce and men and horses grew thin and ill for 
lack of proper food. 

Spanish Cruelty. Added to all this, the Indians were hos- 
tile and treacherous. In the land through which De Soto 
first passed, white men had been before. These had treated 
the Indians with great cinielty, and the red men, in their 
turn, were ready to fight and deceive whenever it was 
possible. 

Then, too, De Soto was not more wise than the Spaniards 
whom the Indians had previously seen. When he passed into 
a region entirely imknown to white men, he was for a time 
received with kindness. The chiefs placed all their braves at 
his service, and gave him plenty of food for his men and horses ; 
in fact, they gave him the best they had. But it did not take 



FERDINAND DE SOTO. 39 

many days for this to change. De Soto was cruel ; he captured 
the chiefs and made the Indians slaves, compelling them to 
carry his heavy burdens. If they rebelled or deserted, they 
were tortured and killed. Therefore it is not strange that 
many battles were fought and many lives were lost. 

No Gold. All this time no gold was discovered. The 
Indians continually told stories of rich villages to the west. 
But when these settlements were reached, nothing of impor- 
tance was found except a few pearls, which had been ruined by 
having holes bored through them. It was like following a 
will-o'-the-wisp. Still they pushed on, their number daily 
growing smaller and the survivors weaker, ever hoping to find 
the fabled gold. 

The Mississippi Discovered. Finally they reached a mighty 
river, the Mississippi, which means in the Indian tongue the 
" father of waters." This river they crossed with great diffi- 
culty, and they pushed on west — ever west. After nearly a 
year more of travel, even De Soto became discouraged. 
The expedition turned and sought the sea. The Missis- 
sippi was again reached, and there De Soto became ill and 
died. Then a panic seized his followers ; they feared that, 
now that their leader, whom the Indians supposed to be 
immortal, was gone, they would be attacked and killed. 
Therefore they determined to conceal the death of De Soto 
from the Indians. 

The Secret Burial. The Indians were skilled in all 
kinds of woodcraft. They would be able to detect the 
slightest disturbance in leaf or twig, and a grave would 
quickly be discovered, no matter how skillfully con- 
cealed. One night a boat pushed out silently from the shore. 
When the deep water of the river was reached, the body of the 
intrepid leader was lifted over the side of the boat and lowered 



40 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

into the stream. Quickly it sank in the waters, with only a 
ripple to mark its resting-place. 

It was a sad end for the brave De Soto, who had left his 
ships so hopefully three years before. His misfortunes he 
brought upon himself. The Indians were ready to repay 
kindness with kindness. They were cruelly and deceitfully 
treated, and they were cruel and deceitful in return. 

De Soto's followers, discouraged and hopeless, succeeded 
in building a few small vessels. These were launched in the 
Mississippi River, and, fifteen months after the death of De 
Soto, reached Mexico. Out of the six hundred who set out 
from Tampa Bay, nearly half perished in this disastrous 
journey. 

Describe the interest that Spaniards felt in the new countries. 
Tell the story of De Soto's journey. 

i)escribe the character of the country through which he passed. 
Give an account of the death and the burial of De Soto. 

Was the desire for wealth sufficient to lead men to cross the ocean? 
Do you know of any recent cases where people have been " crazy " 
to go into some new country ? How did it happen that John Ortiz 
was in America? Why were there " no roads "? What is meant by 
" fording a river "? Why did the Indians continually tell the Span- 
iards that there were " rich villages to the west "? 




CHAPTER V 



Sir Walter Raleigh 



1552-1618 



A Famous Englishman. More than half a century after the 
voyages of Columbus, an English boy was born, for whom the 
capital of North Carolina is named. His family had been il- 
lustrious for many generations, and, though it had lost much 
of its possessions, it was still able to give young Walter Raleigh 
a fair start in life. 

After that, however, all that he accomplished was obtained 
by his own hard work. As a soldier he fought bravely in the 
civil wars in France. As a sailor he led in the overthrow of 
the famous Spanish Armada. As an orator he was able to 
dispute with the great statesmen of his day. As a courtier he 
was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. 

Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth. Raleigh was a man of com-, 
manding presence. He was six feet in height and remarkably 
well built. He was accustomed, like the other courtiers of 
Elizabeth, to set off his handsome face and striking form by 
dress of the richest material. Silks and velvets, embroidered 
with gems and gold, were his usual apparel. He possessed 
most charming manners and was a model of politeness. One 
day the queen, with her attendant courtiers, came to a muddy 



42 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



place in the road. Seeing that she hesitated to place her 
dainty slippers in the mud, Raleigh immediately " spread his 
new plush cloak on the ground, whereon the queen trod gently 
over, rewarding him afterward with many suits for his so free 
and seasonable tender of so fair a foot-cloth." 

English Indifference. Raleigh, however, was more than a 
mere idler about the court. Before he was thirty years of age 

he began to show an interest 
in America. Eighty years 
had passed since the voyages 
of Cabot gave England a 
claim to the Atlantic coast of 
America. Meanwhile, Spain 
had conquered Mexico and 
the West Indies, and had 
made a settlement at Saint 
Augustine in Florida. France 
had explored the coast and 
had tried to establish colo- 
nies. But England had ap- 
parently forgotten all about 
the new world. 

English Explorations. The 
time had come for a revival 
of English interest in Amer- 
ica. Sir Francis Drake returned from his voyage around the 
world and gave an account of what he had seen of the unknown 
lands. IMartin Frobisher sought a northwest passage around 
the new continent to Asia. Sir Humphrey Gilbert made two 
expeditions from England, and tried in vain to make a settle- 
ment in Newfoundland. A few of the more thoughtful as 
well as the more adventurous Englishmen began to perceive 




WHERE RALEIGH S COLONY LANDED. 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 43 

that a new England in America would greatly increase the 
power of the old England across the water. Among these 
statesmen was Walter Raleigh, the handsome, popular, brave 
courtier of Elizabeth. 

Raleigh was a younger brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert 
and had taken part in his first expedition. Fortunately he 
did not accompany his brother in the second, or he might 
have lost his life in the same storm in which his brother 
perished. 

Virginia. The death of Gilbert and the loss of his entire 
fortune did not lessen Raleigh's desire to build up an English 
home in the new world. He took up the work where his 
brother left it, and the next year fitted out two ships to explore 
the coast of America and choose a suitable place for a colony. 

The leaders of this expedition returned and reported that 
the Island of Roanoke, off the coast of what was later called 
Carolina, was well adapted for a settlement. There they had 
found a fertile soil, a delightful climate, and friendly In- 
dians. Queen Elizabeth knighted Raleigh for his expedi- 
tion, and directed that the new country be named Virginia, in 
honor of herself, the " Virgin Queen." 

The First English Colony. The next year (1585 ) Sir Walter 
sent out his first colony. What energy and courage were 
needed by the one hundred colonists who left England in a 
fleet of seven small vessels ! A voyage across the Atlantic did 
not then have the terrors that it had in the time of Columbus, 
but the thought of a home in the wilds of an unknown land, 
thousands of miles from England, with an ocean between them 
and all their friends, must have been disheartening. But they 
sailed bravely across the waters, began at once to build their 
rude houses, and sent all their vessels back to England. 

Indian Hostility. Troubles arose at once. The friendly 



44 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OP OUR COUNTRY. 

Indians of the year before began to show themselves hostile. 
They did not like the way that these newcomers had taken the 
land that had been theirs. Moreover, they were angry, and 
they had reason to be, at the way the white men treated them. 

Governor Ralph Lane had sent out an exploring party 
soon after the colonists arrived. On its return it was found 
that a silver cup, which one of the party had carried, was 
missing. Instantly they charged the red men with stealing 
it. Hastening back, they came to an Indian town from which 
all the inhabitants had fled. In retaliation for the loss of 
the cup the white men burned the whole town, with all the 
houses and stores of provisions. This foolish act was fol- 
lowed by a long series of injuries, until the red men plotted 
to massacre the entire colony. 

The Colony Abandoned. Lane and his little band discovered 
the plot and succeeded in defending themselves. But the 
constant fear of the Indians and the unaccustomed hardships 
proved too much for the colonists. They missed their well- 
built houses at home, their wholesome food, and their soft beds. 
When Sir Francis Drake sailed into the harbor in June, he was 
eagerly besought to take them home. The admiral consented, 
and Raleigh's first colony was abandoned. 

Products of the New World. Governor Lane carried home 
with him samples of three of the products of the new world, 
which had hitherto been unknown in England, — maize or 
Indian corn, white potatoes, and tobacco. Raleigh planted 
the potatoes on his estate in Ireland, where the root became 
popular. It has since been cultivated by the people of that 
island so persistently that it is now everywhere known as the 
Irish potato. 

Lane and Raleigh also introduced into Europe the habit 
of smoking. Every one enjoys the story of Raleigh's servant, 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 



45 



who, carrying his master a mug of ale, saw him for the first 
time sending forth whiffs of tobacco-smoke. Overcome with 
fright, the man threw the ale in Raleigh's face and ran from 
the room, calling out that his master was on fire and would 
soon be consumed. 

Raleigh's Second Colony. Still anxious to extend the 
English domain, Raleigh sent out a larger colony the next year, 
under Captain John White. When the fleet reached Roanoke 
Island, it was found that all 
the houses of the previous 
settlement had been destroyed 
by the Indians. Where the 
village had been was now a 
melon-patch. 

Not a very pleasant wel- 
come for these strangers! 
New houses were soon built, 
however, and the colony at 
once settled down to regular 
life. But provisions and re- 
inforcements were necessary, 
and the governor sailed for 
England to seek them and to 
give a report of the colony. 

Virginia Dare. Governor 
White was very sorry to be 
compelled so early to leave 
the colony. He felt himself responsible for its welfare, and he 
was especially anxious because he left behind him a daughter, 
Mrs. Dare, and a little granddaughter. This girl was named 
Virginia, because she was the first English child bom in the new 
land. She was but nine days old when her grandfather sailed 




RALEIGH AND HIS FRIGHTENED 
SERVANT. 



40 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 



out of sight of the colony. Anxiously did the governor look 
forward to a quick return from England. 

But England was at war with Spain. The Spanish Ar- 
mada, of nearly a hundred and fifty vessels, was preparing 
to make an attack upon the English. Raleigh, like all other 
true Englishmen, was devoting his energies to aid in warding 
off the attack. The little band of exiles on Roanoke Island 




DESTRUCTION OF AN EARLY SET- 
TLEMENT BY THE INDIANS. 



must wait a while. Two vessels, it is true, were sent to carry 
them supplies, but both met Spanish ships and were driven 
back to England. It was three years after Governor White 
sailed out of Roanoke Harbor before an English rescue fleet 

arrived. 

The Lost Colony. The little settlement was nowhere to be 
seen. Scarcely any remains were found to indicate that white 
men had ever lived there. On the bark of one of the trees the 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH. 



47 



letters C-R-0-A-T-A-N had been cut. This was intended to 

show where the colonists had gone. But where was " Croa- 

tan "? And where were the eighty-nine men, the seventeen 

women, and the Httle Virginia Dare? No one could tell then 

and no one can tell now. They were never found. They may 

have been killed by the red men, or perhaps adopted into 

an Indian tribe. Thus perished the second colony. 

Raleigh was discouraged. He could not afford to send 

out more expeditions. He was engaged in other matters 

during the rest of his life. He spent many of his later years 

in prison, and finally was beheaded, because of the hatred of 

the new king James I. Yet he lived long enough to see the 

first permanent English colony established on the James 

River, a few hundred miles from Roanoke Island. 

Tell the story of Raleigh : as a boy ; as a courtier ; as a sailor. 
Describe Raleigh's first colony; his second colony. 
Explain why English interest in the new world was awakened. 
Give an account of the loss of the cup; of the possible fate of the 
colonists. 

Why was the name Raleigh given to the capital of North Carolina 
rather than to the capital of some other State? Did Raleigh expect a 
reward when he kept the mud from the queen's slippers? What hope 
that Columbus had was still held by some people in Raleigh's time? 
Why was the voyage of Raleigh's colonists less dreaded than that of 
Columbus? Had the colonists any right to destroy the Indian town? 
Which of the three new plants found by Governor Lane has proved 
of the most value? 







INDIAN PIPES. 




CHAPTER VI 

John Smith 
1579-163 I 



The Virginia Company. The failures of Gilbert and Raleigh 
taught the English people that it would not be an easy matter 
to establish a colony in the new world. Such expeditions were 
seen to be more expensive than one man could afford to under- 
take, even if he were a rich courtier, favored by the queen. 
Therefore but little more was done for many years, imtil 
another century had begun and another ruler had come to the 
throne of England. 

When the idea of colonization was again taken up, it was 
decided that several men, tmited into a company, were more 
likely to be successful than a single adventurer. Accordingly, 
the new king, James I, gave a charter, which allowed a few 
men to organize the Virginia Company. This company had 
the right to make settlements in the new world, to control 
and govern them, and to make all the profit it could out of 

48 



JOHN SMITH. 



49 



them, if it would pay the king one fifth of the gold and silver 
which might be obtained in its possessions. 

The Voyage. Nearly twenty years after the arrival of White 
and his band upon the shores of Roanoke Island, a fleet, sent 
out by the Virginia Company, set sail from England. Leaving 
port in December, the three small vessels sailed south, along 
the coasts of France and Spain, to 
the Canary Isles, and then west- 
ward nearly in the track of Colum- 
bus to the West Indies. 

From here the voyage was north- 
ward. A severe storm was en- 
countered, and, being at the mercy 
of the wind, Captain Newport was 
unable to bring his ships to Roan- 
oke Island, as he had intended. As 
he sailed into Chesapeake Bay, the 
headlands on either side were named 
Cape Henry and Cape Charles, in 
honor of the sons of King James. 

Jamestown. The pleasure of the 
immigrants in the quiet waters into 
which they had come after the 
four months' voyage, has been commemorated in the name of 
Old Point Comfort. Continuing up a broad river, which they 
called the James, they chose a little peninsula for a settle- 
ment, and named it Jamestown. 

Thus was begun the first permanent English settlement in 
America, in May, 1607. By the first stroke of the ax to 
fell trees for the houses of the little village, the colony of 
Virginia was started, and the first step was taken in forming 
what was to be the United States of America. The little 









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(^>ip^ Chm^$--i 




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WHERE JOHN SMITH EXPLORED. 



50 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

band of colonists at Jamestown succeeded in doing what 
no earlier company of Englishmen had accomplished. They 
kept the colony alive ; they did not abandon it ; and they pre- 
vented their own destruction by the Indians. 

The Settlers. That success came to them seems almost a 
miracle. Of the one hundred and five men — for there were 
no women — nearly fifty were " gentlemen," unaccustomed to 
do any work with their hands ; twelve only were laborers, and 
these were mostly body-servants of the gentlemen ; four were 
carpenters, one a blacksmith, one a bricklayer, and one a 
mason. Probably very few had had any experience in cutting 
trees ; not any were accustomed to cultivating the land ; there 
were no bricks for the bricklayer and the mason ; and three of 
the carpenters had but partly learned their trade. 

The First Summer. The beautiful month of May saw their 
arrival in Virginia, the best season of the year in that climate. 
But soon the warm June came, then the hot July, and the sultry 
August. The peninsula of Jamestown was hardly more than a 
swamp; many fell ill with malaria, which the extreme heat 
greatly increased. Before the cooler weather of autumn 
arrived, nearly half of the entire colony had perished. 

John Smith. Had it not been for the courage and enterprise 
of one man, Jamestown would have met a fate similar to that 
of Roanoke Island. John Smith proved to be the right man 
in the right place. He knew what was necessary to be done; 
he saw clearly what should be avoided; he was able to con- 
duct the colony through trials under which others had failed. 
Always cheerful, always ready in an emergency, never cast 
down by ill-fortune, John Smith saved the Virginia colony. 

Early Adventures. This young man, for he was less than 
thirty years of age, had already passed through more dangers 
and disasters than often came to men in a whole lifetime. 



JOHN SMITH. 



51 



While scarcely more than a boy, he had fought bravely in 
Holland. Afterward he had traveled through Europe, even 
into Egypt, from which country he returned to enter the war' 
against the Turks in Hungary. Here he won great renown in 
many single combats, but he was finally wounded and cap- 
tured. Sold as a slave in Constantinople, he was put at the 







JOHN SMITH EXPLORING THE RIVER. 

hardest kinds of labor, until, rendered desperate by his cruel 
treatment, he succeeded in escaping. He traveled through 
the dense forests of Russia, pushed his way across Europe, and 
reached England just in time to join the expedition to Virginia. 
A Wise Leader. John Smith had thoroughly learned hu- 
man nature; he could control the colonists, even in cases 
of rebellion; he could fill the Indians with a fear of him- 
self. He also realized that food was of more value to starving 
men than gold. He guided in building the houses; he 
taught the colonists how to till the soil; he obtained the 



52 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



much-needed food from the Indians; and he kept the dis- 
heartened settlers from saihng for England until winter set 
in. Then heat and disease were gone, and a more hopeful, 
cheerful spirit filled all hearts. 

Smith's Explorations. When the Virginia Company sent out 
the colonists, it laid three commands upon them : one was to 

seek Raleigh's " lost colony "; 
the second was to find gold ; and 
the third was to search for 
a northwest passage through 
America to the Pacific Ocean. 
Although Smith realized that 
none of these objects could be 
accomplished easily, yet he was 
more than willing to set out on 
any exploring expedition. 

He rowed up the Chicka- 
hominy River as far as his boats 
could go, proving that the Pa- 
cific could not be reached in that 
way. He continued his journey 
into the country and was cap- 
tured by the Indians. He saved 
his life for a time by showing them a pocket compass. They 
were greatly impressed with his genius, and were filled with 
wonder when he conveyed a message to his friends at James- 
town by sending them a written letter. 

Pocahontas. The Indians determined to send their captive 
to the great chief, Powhatan, at his royal residence near the 
present city of Richmond. There a council of war was held, 
which decided to put Smith to death. Pocahontas, the twelve- 
year-old daughter of Powhatan, throwing her arms around 




INDIANS WONDER AT SMITH S 
WRITING. 



JOHN SMITH. 



53 




THE MARRIAGE OF POCAHONTAS. 



the neck of the captive, begged her father to spare his h'fe. 
The chief could refuse nothing to his beloved child, and Smith, 
instead of suffering death, was treated with the utmost friend- 
ship. 



54 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Pocahontas continued to be a friend to Smith and the colo- 
nists. She often conveyed them food in the hard times that 
followed. Five years later she helped to make a firmer bond 
of union between the Indians and the white men by her 
marriage with John Rolfe, an Englishman of high family. 
When, a few years afterward, the Lady Rebecca, as Pocahontas 
had been christened at her marriage, visited England, she won 
the hearts of all who met her. Unhappily, the severe climate 
of the British Isles proved more than her southern blood could 
endure, and she died just as she was to sail back to America, 
with her husband and infant son. 

The Father of Virginia. Captain Smith continued to be the 
life of the colony until he was severely wounded by an acci- 
dental explosion and found it necessary to return to England 
for proper surgical treatment. Meanwhile he had explored 
Chesapeake Bay, visiting the harbor of what is now Baltimore, 
and sailing up the Potomac River past the site of Washington, 
he also made an accurate map of the entire region. He had so 
conducted the colony, with its newly arrived reinfoi'cements, 
that but seven died the second year. Recovering from the 
accident. Smith, a few years later, explored the coast of New 
England and named many of the capes and harbors, among 
them Plymouth, the site of the second English settlement in 
America. 

John Smith has rightly been called the " Father of Vir- 
ginia," but for all his labors and exertions he received not 
one cent in payment ; not one foot of land, not the house he 
himself had built, not the field his own hands had planted, 
nor any reward but the applause of his conscience and the 
world. 

Hard Times. After the departure of Smith the Jamestown 
colony began to lose ground again, and in six months the four 



JOHN SMITH. 55 

hundred and ninety persons in the settlement had been 
reduced to sixty. Three years after the first arrival at James- 
town the wretched survivors embarked in four small vessels 
and permitted the tide to carry them down the river, for they 
had decided to give up the colony and to sail for England. 

Fortunately, the next morning, before reaching Point 
Comfort, they met the fleet of the new governor, Lord Dela- 
ware. This contained more immigrants and supplies, and 
inspired the deserters with fresh courage. Returning to James- 
town, the colonists, new and old, assembled in the little church 
and gave thanks to God for His goodness. The hardest times 
in Virginia were past. More than a century and a half later 
the colony became the State of Virginia, the largest of the 
original thirteen United States, 

State the result of Raleigh's failures. 
Describe the voyage of Captain Newport. 
Give an account of the character of the colonists. 
Tell the story of John Smith: as a young man; as a leader in Vir- 
ginia; among the Indians; during his later life. 
Tell the story of Pocahontas. 

How much money do you suppose the kings of England have re- 
ceived from Virginia as " one-fifth of the gold and silver " obtained in 
that colony? What did the " gentlemen " seek in Virginia? Did the 
Englishmen in the seventeenth century hope to find the same things 
that Columbus did? How did the pocket compass save Smith's life? 
Smith governed Virginia well; did he do anything else for his fellow- 
men? Do you know of any other men besides John Smith who did 
not receive proper reward for the good which they did? 



SIGNATURE OF KING JAMES I. 




A • FlLGfyM- COYERHOR- 



William Bradford 

1588-1657 



The Scrooby Separatists. The same year that saw the 
arrival of Captain Newport and his httle fleet in Chesapeake 
Bay and the settlement of the colony of Virginia (1607), 
witnessed also a sad scene upon the eastern coast of England. 
Just as a vessel was about to sail, some government officers 
boarded it and carried the passengers to prison. After a 
month of confinement nearly all were set free, on condition 
that they would return to their homes at Scrooby, 

What had these men and women and children done that 
they should be thus imprisoned? Nothing that would be 
called a crime to-day. They were merely trying to leave 
England for some country where they could worship God in 
the way that they thought was right. They were a little 
band of earnest Christians, who were called Separatists, be- 
cause they desired to separate from the established church. 
They believed that the Church of England had made mis- 
takes, and they wished to worship God as seemed best to them. 

Persecution. Queen Elizabeth had tried during her entire 
reign to strengthen the Church of England. She thought it 

S6 



WILLIAM BRADFORD. 



57 



wrong for any to stay away from service or to meet together 
to worship by themselves. Therefore she forbade all such 
meetings, and directed that those who attended them, and 
even those who did not attend the regular service, should be 
punished. 

When James I came to the throne, he was even more harsh 
than Elizabeth had been. The Separatists were more severely 
treated than before. 
What seems especially 
strange to us, the king 
not only refused to per- 
mit them to worship as 
they pleased but he also 
would not allow them to 
leave England and seek 
a country where they 
would be granted reli- 
gious freedom. 

The Flight to Holland. 
In spite of the laws 
against emigration, how- 
ever, many tried to flee 
across the Channel to 
Holland. It was while 
thus attempting to es- 
cape, that these Scrooby 
Separatists were cap- 
tured and sent home. 

They were not discouraged, but tried again the next year 
and succeeded, after great suffering, in reaching Amsterdam, 
a city in Holland. 

William Bradford. Among these exiles was a lad, about 




WHERE THE PILGRIMS AND THE PURITANS 
SETTLED. 



58 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

eighteen years of age, named William Bradford. Six years 
before this time the boy had joined the Httle Separatist body at 
Scrooby. As he grew older, he became an earnest upholder 
of the beliefs of the small denomination. He was a scholar, 
and was familiar with those studies which require considera- 
ble thought, such as the ancient languages, philosophy, and 
theology. He was fitted to be a leader in a religious move- 
ment, and, thongh still young, he was prominent very early 
among the exiles in Amsterdam. 

The Pilgrims. Soon the little band removed to Leyden, 
another city of Holland. Here these wanderers began to call 
themselves Pilgrims, because they seemed to have no 
permanent home. In Leyden, with their beloved pastor, 
John Robinson, they hved for nearly eleven years. 

These English people, in the strange Dutch land, had no 
easy task to find means of support. But as weavers, masons, 
carpenters, hat makers, and tailors, they were able to make a 
competent and comfortable hving by continued hard labor. 

After some years, however, they began to question among 
themselves if everything was as it should be. They were 
English people, and believed in English methods and customs. 
Was it not likely that their sons and daughters, growing Up 
among the Dutch, would learn Dutch ways instead of English? 
Perhaps they might even marry among the people of Holland, 
and so make it their permanent home. 

A Pilgrim Colony. Consequently their thoughts were 
turned toward the possibility of settling in America. There 
they would be free from English punishments and also from 
Dutch customs. There they could worship God as they 
thought right and at the same time carry the Bible to the 
Indians. Accordingly, for two or three years, they tried to 
make arrangements with the Virginia Company to send them 



WILLIAM BRADFORD, 



59 



across the ocean. At last, in 1620, an agreement was reached, 
and in the middle of summer, the vessel Speedwell sailed from 
Delftshaven, the port of Ley den. 

The Voyage. The Speedwell was too small to carry half of 
the members of the Leyden church; therefore Elder William 
Brewster was sent with the colonists, and Pastor John Robin- 
son remained in Holland with the majority, who could not then 
go. The little vessel sailed to Southampton, England, where it 
was joined by 
the Mayflower, 
with other Sep- 
aratists who had 
remained in 

England. The 
two vessels left 
S o u t hampton, 
but were twice 
compelled to re- 
turn to English 
harbors, because 
the Speedwell 
was leaking. 
Finally it was 
decided to use 
the Mayflower 

alone, and, early in September, a little band of one hun- 
dred men, women, and children left the harbor of Ply- 
mouth, England, for their stormy voyage across the Atlantic 
Ocean. 

More than two months passed before land was seen. This 
proved to be a part of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims had one of 
John Smith's maps of the New England coast, and therefore 




THE MAYFLOWER IN PLYMOUTH HARBOR. 



6o FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

knew where they were. They anchored in the harbor of 
Provincetown, and at once thanked God " who had brought 
them over the vast and furious ocean and dehvered them from 
all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on 
the firm and stable earth." 

The Compact. While the Mayflower lay in the harbor, an 
agreement was drawn up and signed by forty-one men. This 
was the " Mayflower Compact," which pledged the signers to 
obey the government which it established. Then the voyagers 
elected John Carver governor. 

Nearly a month was spent in exploring the shores of Cape 
Cod Bay, in order to find a suitable spot for the settlement. 
Finally a party of twelve Pilgrims landed at the spot marked 
on Smith's map as Plymouth. This took place on December 
21, 1620 — a day since celebrated as Forefathers' Day. The 
explorers chose Plymouth as the site of the colony, and the 
Mayflower was brought across into that harbor. 

The First Winter. The Virginia colony had commenced its 
settlement just at the beginning of a hot and sickly summer; 
the Plymouth colonists arrived at the beginning of a cold and 
dreary New England winter. The Jamestown settlers lacked 
provisions during that first summer; the Plymouth band had 
not sufficient food to keep them alive through that first winter. 
The hundred Virginians of the summer of 1607 decreased to 
about fifty before autumn ; the hundred Pilgrims of the De- 
cember of 1620 were but about fifty at the beginning of the 
next summer. Thus the winter hardships of the New England 
colony were as severe as those of the first summer in Virginia. 

Governor Bradford. Among the deaths, that spring, was 
that of Governor Carver. The colonists at once elected 
young William Bradford as his successor. Year after year 
the Plymouth colony chose him as governor, even to the 



WILLIAM BRADFORD. 



61 



time of his death. During the thirty-six years of his Hfe 
in America, Bradford was governor thirty-one. To his wise 
government was due much of the success of the colony, which 
slowly but surely grew after the first winter. 

The Indians. As was the case everywhere among the new 
settlements in America, one of the greatest dangers lay in 
the hostility of the Indians. Fortunately for the Pilgrims, 
but few red men lived in the neighborhood of Plymouth when 




THE FIREPLACE IN A PILGRIM S HOME. 

the colony was founded. This was one of the main reasons 
for the years of peace with the Indians that followed the land- 
ing of the colonists. Moreover, although the Pilgrims treated 
the Indians with great kindness, yet they showed a firm deter- 
mination to protect themselves. 

Early in the spring of 162 1 an Indian named Samoset visited 
the Plymouth colony ; he was received with kindness and sent 
away with a few presents. Soon he returned with Squanto, 
another Indian, who could speak some English, as he had been 
captured and taken to England years before by a party 



62 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



exploring the New England coast. Squanto was of considera- 
ble assistance to the colonists, teaching them how to plant 
the Indian corn and also giving information concerning the 
neighboring Indian tribes. 

The Challenge. The next autumn a tribe of Indians called 

the Narragansetts, hoping to 
terrify the Pilgrims, sent them a 
" bundle of arrows tied about 
with a great snake skin." The 
colonists, though desiring peace, 
were not cowardly ; they imme- 
diately returned the skin filled 
with bullets. Then they began 
to strengthen their fort and to 
place themselves in readiness. 

But the Indians did not dare 
make an attack, and for more 
than fifty years, until King 
Philip's War, Plymouth colony 
was free from Indian wars. 

Thus the Pilgrims found 
their permanent home. Under 
the wise government of William Bradford, guided by the 
true counsels of Elder Brewster, and led in military affairs 
by the brave Miles Standish, Plymouth colony quietly and 
steadily grew. After seventy years of separate existence, 
Plymouth was joined to the Province of Massachusetts Bay, 
and to-day it is a part of the State of Massachusetts. 

State what the Separatists desired. 
Give an account of the arrest of the passengers. 

Tell the story of William Bradford : as a young man ; in his Leyden 
home; on the ocean; at Plymouth. 




CAPTAIN STANDISH RECEIVING 
THE CHALLENGE. 



WILLIAM BRADFORD. 



63 



Describe the Mayflower Compact. 

Tell how Squanto aided the Pilgrims; how the Indians threatened 
them. 

Do we have religious freedom to-day? Are any religious meetings 
forbidden now in our country? How did the Pilgrims go from Scrooby 
to Amsterdam? How did they go from Amsterdam to Ley den? The 
Pilgrims were afraid that they would become like the Dutch; was this 
probable? Do immigrants to the United States grow to be like the 
rest of us? 




PILGRIMS WATCHING THE DEPARTURE OP THE "MAYFLOWER." 





Arms! ^ tMSicSAiju otSolem^ 
CHAPTER VIII 

John Winthrop 

I 588-1 649 

The Puritans. The Separatists, a few of whom came to 
Plymouth, were not the only English people who did not accept 
all the doctrines of the Church of England. A much larger 
number, called Puritans, still went to church with the rest of 
the English people. These were not at first persecuted, but, as 
they became more numerous and important, trouble arose 
between them and the king. When this quarrel began, some 
of the leaders proposed to establish a colony for the Puritans, 
like the Pilgrim settlement at Plymouth. 

Early Settlements. A fishing-hamlet had been started at 
Cape Ann (1623 ), a few years after the landing of the Pilgrims, 
with Roger Conant in charge. The cape was bleak and rocky 
and not easily cultivated, and the settlement was a failure. 
One day, however, when Conant was paddling his canoe along 
the shore, he found a fertik piece of land stretching out into 
the sea between two little rivers. He thought that this penin- 
sula, which the Indians called Naumkeag, would be a good 
place for a settlement, and in the spring (1626 ) he and fourteen 
' companions moved over from Cape Ann and established 
themselves at Naumkeag. 



JOHN WINTHROP. 



65 



Conant wrote for aid to a Puritan leader in Dorchester, Eng- 
land, named John White ; he needed more colonists and supplies. 
Two years later, John Endicott was sent over to Naumkeag 
with a hundred settlers, having a grant of all the land between 
Plymouth and New Hampshire. The New Hampshire colony 
had been settled at 
Portsmouth and Dover 
the year that Cape Ann 
was first used as a fish- 
ing station (1623 ). 

The Endicott Pear 
Tree. Governor Endi- 
cott brought over from 
England some pear 
trees, and one of them 
is still living and blos- 
soming in the town of 
Dan vers. What a long 
life for a pear tree, 
— not far from three 
centuries! What chan- 
ges that tree has 
witnessed ! If it could 
think and talk, what a 
tale it could tell! A 
pretty story is told 

about a young couple, who, walking home one Sunday after 
church service, stopped under the pear tree. The young man 
picked from the tree a double stem having two blossoms on it. 
He asked the young lady if she would take one and let him 
keep the other. She consented and soon after became his wife. 
He was a minute-man and went to the battle of Lexington. 




GOVERNOR ENDICOTT's PEAR TREE ONE 

THING IT SAW. 



66 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 

Reinforcements. The next year, Endicott was rejoiced by 
the arrival of six vessels and four hundred colonists at Naum- 
keag, or Salem, as it was from this time called. A part of the 
newcomers remained at Salem, while others built a town on the 
peninsula of Charlestown. The next spring (1630) four more 
vessels sailed into Salem harbor, and before the year was over 
thirteen others arrived, bringing in all, that year, nearly fifteen 
hundred colonists. Some remained at Salem, others went to 
Charlestown, and others still built new villages, most of them 
near the present city of Boston. 

John Winthrop. The new governor, John Winthrop, came 
out in the spring of 1630. He was a little more than forty 
years old, and was an earnest, sincere Puritan. For several 
years he had felt certain that trouble was coming in England, 
and he was willing to leave home and friends behind him, in 
order to found a place of refuge for the Puritans. For the 
next nineteen years, until his death, he was the most important 
leader in the colony of Massachusetts Bay. 

Winthrop left his family in England when he sailed for 
the new colony, and soon after his arrival he wrote one of his 
loving letters to his wife in the mother-country. "Blessed 
be the Lord, our good God and merciful Father, that yet hath 
preserved me in life and health. We had a long and trouble- 
some passage, but the Lord made it safe and easy to us; and 
though we have met with many and great troubles, yet He 
hath pleased to uphold us." 

We can learn from Winthrop's letters something of the 
discomforts which the settlers suffered. A week later he 
wrote to his wife Margaret: " Let us join in praising our 
merciful God that He upholds our hearts in all our troubles. 
And howsoever our fare be but coarse, in respect of what we 
formerly had (peas, puddings, and fish being our ordinary diet ), 



JOHN WINTHROP. 



67 



yet He makes it sweet and wholesome to us. Therefore be 
not discouraged, my dear wife, for I see no cause to repent of 
our coming hither, and thou seest that God can bring safe 
hither even the tenderest women and the youngest children." 
Winthrop proposed that his family should come to New 
England the next summer, and he sent many directions as 
to what they should bring. " Remember to come well fur- 




MRS. WINTHROP PREPARING TO COME TO AMERICA. 

nished with linen, woolen, some more bedding, brass, and 
pewter. Be sure to be warm clothed and to have store of 
fresh provisions, meal, eggs, butter, oatmeal, peas, and fruits. 
Thou must be sure to bring no more company than so many as 
shall have full provision for a year and a half, for though the 
earth here be very fertile, yet there must be time and means to 
raise it ; if we have com enough we may live plentifully. 



68 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Boston. Before Mrs. Winthrop arrived in the colony, the 
governor had built a new town and made it the capital. 
Shawmut, or Trimountain, as the English at first called it, lay- 
almost entirely surrounded by water, across which were the 
settlements of Charlestown, Newtowne, Roxbury, and Dor- 
chester. Here lived one man, William Blackstone by name, 
near a spring of clear, cold water. By his advice Winthrop 
chose this peninsula to be his home, and named it Boston, in 
honor of the old town of Boston en the eastern shore of Eng- 
land, from which many of the settlers had come. 

The colony was soon well established, and during the next 
twenty years many thousand Puritans left England to try a 
life in a new world. During the civil war in England the 
Puritans arose, beheaded King Charles I and took control of 
the government. Their rule, however, did not last long, and, 
only thirty years after the arrival of Winthrop in Boston, the 
young king, Charles II, was placed upon the throne. 

From this time on, the king opposed the Puritans in every 
way, especially those of Massachusetts. The dislike of the 
king for the colony and of the colony for the king continued 
imtil Massachusetts Bay joined with the other colonies in an 
opposition to the mother-country, which resulted in their in- 
dependence and the United States of America. 

Give an account of the Puritans in England. 

Tell the story of Roger Conant; of Governor Endicott; of the set- 
tlers of 1630; of the founding of Boston. 
Describe Winthrop 's letters. 

The Puritans wished to make the church better; do you see any- 
thing in their name that shows this? The reason is given why the 
settlement at Cape Ann was a failure; what does this show to be most 
necessary in a new colony? Winthrop calls his food " coarse "; was it 
not good? Why did Winthrop ask his wife to bring " fresh provisions "? 
Why was Boston first called Trimountain? 




CHAPTER IX 

Williams and Hooker 



ROGER WILLIAMS'S FLIGHT 



I599-I683 



I 586-1 647 



A Puritan Minister. Roger Williams, a young minister from 
England, arrived at Boston a few months after Winthrop. He 
was of a good family and was born in London ; his father was 
James Williams, a merchant tailor, and his mother's name was 
Alice. Yoimg Williams was a minister of the church at Salem 
for a little while, and then went to Plymouth, where he 
preached for more than two years. After this he returned to 
Salem, and was minister there for about two years and a half. 
During this time the government of Massachusetts Bay became 
bitterly opposed to Williams because of certain opinions which 
he held and preached. 

Banishment. Williams thought that the Massachusetts peo- 
ple ought to buy their lands from the Indians. He said that 
the king's gift was not enough, because the king did not own 
the land. He also taught that the government should punish 
for civil but not for religious offenses. That is, Williams held 
that in religious matters every one ought to be permitted to 
think and decide for himself. 

He was brought before the court, but he would not change 
his views. The court then passed a sentence of banishment, 
ordering him to " depart out of this jurisdiction." In January, 



60 



70 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




1636, Williams left Salem, after bidding his wife and children 
good-by, and, with a staff in his hand and a pack upon his back, 
began a long and perilous journey through the deep snows of 
the wilderness. Which way he went is not known, but we 
may suppose that on the first day, going around Boston on its 

western side, he reached 
Natick, where he foimd 
friendly Indians who gave 
him a resting-place in their 
wigwam over night. 

The Wilderness. Perhaps 
on the next day he made a 
short journey to Ponka- 
poag, in the present town 
of Canton, where some 
friendly Indians resided. 
FIRST CHURCH AT SALEM, WHERE WILLIAMS Think of him as hc puslicd 
PREACHED (STILL STANDING). qj^ through the snow to a 

place near Taunton, hoping 
there to find lodgings with other Indians whom he knew. 
But the snows were deep and the weather cold, the way was 
long, and night overtook him in the wilderness. 

It may be that, finding a hollow tree, blown over by the 
wind, he crawled into it and during the night got such snatches 
of sleep as would come to him in his narrow bed-room, upon 
so hard a bed. Finally, reaching the friendly Indians near 
Taunton, he may have spent a night with them, and then, on 
the day following, have gone on to his old friend, Massasoit, at 
Sowams, which is now the town of Warren, in Rhode Island. 

Providence. There Williams remained for three months or 
more, making his home with Massasoit, but visiting the neigh- 
boring Indians from place to place. When the springtime 



WILLIAMS AND HOOKER. 



71 



came, some of his friends joined him, and Wilh'ams looked 
about for the best place to make a settlement. In a small 
canoe he crossed the Seekonk River with five companions. At 
Slate Rock, which is on the east side of the city of Providence, 
he was met by friendly Indians, who greeted him with the 
welcome, " What cheer, Netop, what cheer! " This means, 
" How do you do, good friend, how do you do? " 




ROGER WILLIAMS MEETING FRIENDLY INDIANS AT SLATE ROCK 

Religious Freedom. Williams paddled around the point of 
land and made a settlement near a beautiful spring of water. 
Here was begun a new settlement, a new town, a new colony, 
and one of the thirteen original States of the Union. Others 
soon joined him, and a government was established by a 
written agreement, which read as follows: " We, whose names 



72 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

are here underwritten, do promise to subject ourselves to all 
such orders or agreements as shall be made for the public 
good of the body, in an orderly way, by the major consent of the 
present inhabitants and such others whom they shall admit 
unto the same — • only in civil things. '' 

" Only in civil things " means that the public laws shall 
not interfere with a man's religious belief. Here, first in the 
whole world, was established a government upon the princi- 
ple of full religious liberty. From that time till the present, 
Rhode Island has been noted for religious freedom. Roger 
Williams, therefore, deserves the title of " the great apostle 
of religious freedom." 

Thomas Hooker. Two years after Roger Williams came to 
Boston, Thomas Hooker, another minister, arrived. Within 
six weeks after he had landed he was chosen pastor of the 
church at Newtowne,. now Cambridge. Hooker was a man of 
great ability and a very attractive preacher. He at once took 
high rank among the learned men of Massachusetts, interesting 
himself in all the important political and religious movements 
of the colony. 

Hooker did not agree with Winthrop. He believed that 
all the people ought to take part in the government, while 
Winthrop thought that a large part of them were unfit to 
govern, Winthrop's idea favored an aristocracy, a govern- 
ment by a few, the better people ; Hooker thought the govern- 
ment should be a democracy, a government by ah the people. 

The Connecticut Colony. Hooker did not stop to quarrel 
with Winthrop, but a few months after Williams had gone to 
Providence (1636) he, with a great company comprising a 
large part of the inhabitants of three towns, Cambridge, 
Dorchester, and Watertown, left the Bay Colony and set out on 
a long and difficult journey to the Connecticut River. 



WILLIAMS AND HOOKER, 



73 



What a joumey that was from Boston to Hartford ! Through 
a trackless wilderness, across streams, they traveled, driving 
their cattle before them and living during the whole journey as 
best they could upon the milk of their cows and whatever they 
could hnd upon the way. 

The First Written Constitution. Three years later the Con- 
necticut settlers adopted a " Body of Fundamental Laws," 
doubtless drawn up by Hooker. 




HOOKER S EXPEDITION TO CONNECTICUT. 



The adoption of this document, and the founding of their 
government upon it, is the first case in the history of the 
world where a written constitution, which established and put 
in operation a new government, was framed and adopted by 
the people. It gave equal rights to all citizens, and promised 
freedom and protection to all tinder the laws which the people 
should adopt. 



74 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Roger Williams and Thomas Hooker must be considered 
among the foremost men of their age. They laid the real 
foundations of American liberty. 

The New England Colonies. Four of the six States afterward 
forming New England were now settled. After a time Plym- 
outh was united to the Bay Colony, and the two thus brought 
together made the colony of Massachusetts. Providence 
Colony united with Newport Colony, and received a charter 
from Charles II. Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield for a 
time formed the Connecticut River Colony, while settlements 
about New Haven made the New Haven Colony. At a later 
date these two colonies were united and became the Colony of 
Connecticut. 

Give an account of Williams's early life. 

State the trouble between Massachusetts and Williams. 

Describe his possible wanderings. 

Give an account of the founding of Providence. 

Explain what is meant by *' religious freedom." 

State why Hooker left Massachusetts Bay. 

Describe the journey and its results. 

Was Williams right in his ideas about the lands? Was he right in 
his belief in religious freedom? How did Williams know the Indians 
at Taunton? Williams once wrote that he was " tossed for fourteen 
weeks, not knowing what bed or bread did mean " ; where do you sup- 
pose he spent most of that time? Why was the city which Williams 
founded called Providence? What do you understand by a " trackless 
wilderness"? What were the four New England States? How many 
New England colonies were there at first? 




~Vew ,«NewAmsU>.3»rn -^ 



CHAPTER X 

Peter Stuyvesant 

1602-1682 

Henry Hudson. The same year that Pastor Robinson and 
the Pilgrims moved from one city in Holland to another (1609), 
the Dutch East India Company sent out Henry Hudson, an 
Englishman, in a vessel called the Half -Moon, to search for a 
nearer passage to Asia. Hudson sailed from Holland in the 
month of April, and reached the cold waters north of Russia so 
early in the season that masses of ice and broken icebergs 
prevented his farther advance. 

He then decided to seek a western passage, as he could not 
go east, and he turned his vessel toward Greenland. He 
passed along Newfoundland, and continued southward along 
the coast of America, seeking for some strait or passage into 
the land which might lead through to the Pacific Ocean. At 
last he reached a point opposite the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. 
Not caring to visit the two-year-old colony at Jamestown, 
Hudson sailed north again, made the first visit to Delaware 
Bay, and cast anchor in New York Harbor. 

For the first time Europeans viewed the spot where now 
stands Greater New York, one of the largest cities in the world. 
For the first time a vessel sailed up the river past the Palisades 



76 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



and the Highlands, almost to the head of navigation, where 
the city of Albany now is situated. For the first time the 
Indians on the banks of this river looked upon a vessel bearing 
sails, and, filled w4th curiosity, they flocked to the Half-Moon 
in great numbers. 




HUDSON SAILING UP THE RIVER. 



Dutch and French Explorations. To this river Hudson gave 
nis own name. Two months earlier Samuel de Champlain had 
gone south from Quebec, and named for himself the great lake 
separating New York from Vermont. So these two men, one 
in the employ of the Dutch and the other sent out by France, 
began the exploration of the great region which is now the 
State of New York. Hudson entered from the south, and 



PETER STUYVESANT. 7/ 

Champlain from the north. They came within a hundred 
miles of each other. 

Hudson returned to Holland and reported the results of 
his voyage. He had found neither the northeast nor the 
northwest passage to India, but he had discovered the Hudson 
River. He told the Dutch people about the fine harbor and 
the fertile country; he stated that the Indians were kindly, 
and that the woods were filled with fur-bearing animals; and 
he described the grandeur and beauty of the scenery. 

Dutch Settlements. Because of the voyage of Hudson in the 
Half-Moon, the Dutch claimed the entire territory between the 
Connecticut and the Delaware rivers. To this country they 
gave the name of New Netherland. Forts and trading-posts 
were built (1614), one on the island of Manhattan, another 
on the Hudson River near Albany, and a third on the Delaware 
River. Three years after the Pilgrims sailed for America, 
fifty families arrived in the Dutch colony (1623), the larger 
part of whom settled at New Amsterdam and the rest at Fort 
Orange or Albany. 

A little later the governor, Peter Minuit, bought the entire 
island of Manhattan from the Indians for the small sum of 
twenty-four dollars. 

The Dutch did not always use the best judgment in the 
choice of the governors who were sent over to take charge of 
the colony. Disputes arose continually between the governors 
and the great land-owners, or " patroons." The Indians 
were often harshly treated, and they in turn frequently 
attacked and m-urdered the Dutch. Yet, little by little, the 
colony grew, until finally a governor arrived who succeeded in 
placing it on a firmi footing. 

An Able Governor. Peter Stuyvesant was forty-five years of 
age when he was given the charge of New Netherland. While 



78 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



a young man he had entered the military service of Holland 
and had served loyally and faithfully, losing a leg in an attack 
upon a Portuguese fort. He was a proud man, with an over- 
bearing temper which could endure no opposition. He believed 
that a governor should have absolute power, as is shown by his 
answer to citizens who brought complaints against the former 

governor. He haughtily 
said : " It is treason to peti- 
tion against one's magis- 
trates, whether there be 
cause or not." 

In spite of his temper 
and his belief in his own 
absolute power, Peter 
Stuyvesant proved him- 
self well able to manage 
the affairs of the colony. 
The greatest danger to 
be feared was from the 
Indians. Stuyvesant for- 
bade the sale of liquor or 
firearms to the red men, 
and carefully considered their welfare in all his dealings with 
them. He succeeded in making the Indians his friends, and 
perhaps thereby saved his colony from destruction. 

Prosperity. He next turned his attention to promoting the 
well-being of the colonists. He established a system of schools ; 
he built a market and began a series of annual cattle-fairs ; he 
advised the building of better houses and taverns, and made 
New Amsterdam almost a model town. He enforced a careful 
observance of the Sabbath, but yielded religious tolerance 
to all persons. 




STUYVESANT AND THE PETITIONERS. 



PETER STUYVESANT. 79 

As a result of his wise direction we read that " the 
colony increased; children swarmed in every village; new 
modes of activity were devised; lumber was shipped to 
France; the whale pursued off the coast; the vine, the 
mulberry, planted ; flocks of sheep as well as of cattle were 
multiplied. 

" ' This happily situated province,' said its inhabitants, 
"may become the granary of our Fatherland; should our 
Netherlands be wasted by grievous wars, it will offer our 
countrymen a safe retreat; by God's blessing we shall in a 
few years become a mighty people.' " 

Quarrel with the Swedes. In the midst of its prosperity the 
colony of New Netherland continually quarreled with its 
neighbors. West and south of the Delaware River lay the 
little settlement of New Sweden. Queen Christina of Sweden 
had sent out a colony under the lead of the Dutchman, Peter 
Minuit (1638). Minuit bought land of the Indians on the 
west bank of the Delaware River and built Fort Christiana, 
where the city of Wilmington now stands. 

The Dutch were angry at the coming of the Swedes, but 
they were too weak at the time to oppose them in any way 
except by words. After the arrival of Stuyvesant as governor, 
however, the Dutch became much stronger and grew to despise 
the little Swedish colony. Finally Stuyvesant built Fort 
Casimir, on the western bank of the Delaware, within five 
miles of Fort Christiana, and within the territory which the 
Swedes had bought from the Indians. 

The quarrel now became something more than words. 
The Swedes made an attack upon Fort Casimir and captured 
it. The next year Stuyvesant sailed from New Amsterdam, 
with six vessels and seven hundred men, to punish the rash 
people of New Sweden, as their settlement was called. He not 



8o 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



only recaptured Fort Casimir, but he also took Fort Christiana, 
and New Sweden ceased to exist as a separate colony. 




THE ENGLISH FLEET APPEARING AT NEW AMSTERDAM. 



English Claims. New Netherland had now become appar- 
ently a well-established colony. It claimed all the territory 
of the present States of New York, New Jersey, and Delaware, 
and also the western bank of the Delaware River, in Pennsyl- 
vania. Suddenly 'the power of Stuyvesant and the Dutch 
came to an end. One day an English fleet quietly sailed into 
New Amsterdam Harbor. 

England and Holland were at peace with each other, but 
the English commander of the fleet. Colonel Nichols, sent a 
letter to Fort Manhattan, requiring Stuyvesant immediately 
to yield the fort and turn over the government to the English, 
He announced that Charles U, King of England, claimed all 



PETER STUYVESANT. 8l 

the east coast of America because of Cabot's discovery, more 
than a hundred and fifty years before. 

Nichols added that King Charles had given the territory 
between the Connecticut River and Maryland to his brother 
James, the Duke of York, afterwards King James II, who 
had sent this fleet to take possession of the country. 

Resistance Useless. From the moment that the English 
vessels were first seen, Stuyvesant began preparations for 
defense. He ordered all the able-bodied men to enroll as 
soldiers or to work upon the fortifications. New guns were 
mounted and the shores patrolled. But this effort came too 
late. The people saw that they could not successfully resist 
the English, and they entered into the work half-heartedly. 
Besides, many English people had settled among the Dutch, 
and these were ready to welcome an English government. 

A second letter reached Stuyvesant and his council. Thi-s 
offered very favorable terms. It stated that only a change 
in flag and governor would be required. The council advised 
that the letter be made public and the people permitted 
to decide what they would do. At this Stuyvesant became 
very angry, declaring that the people had nothing to do with 
it. He was the governor, and he would not surrender. He 
even tore the letter into small pieces, to prevent its being 
read to the people. 

The council put the parts together again, made a fresh 
copy of the letter, and published it. The people were so 
strongly in favor of yielding that six commissioners were 
sent to treat with Colonel Nichols. Terms of surrender were 
written and Stuyvesant was compelled to sign them. 

New York. Thus, without bloodshed and without even 
serious disturbance, New Netherland was lost to Holland, 
and New York became an English colony (1664). The 



82 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Duke of York gave New Jersey to two of his friends, and 
afterward sokl Delaware to William Penn. In 1776 these 
three colonies entered the Union as three States. 

The Dutch people continued to live in New York and did 
not seem to realize the change in government. Stuyvesant 
himself retired to his farm, or " bowerie " of six hundred acres. 
His house was near the present corner of Third Avenue and 
Twelfth Street, and his farm gave the name to one of New 
York's famous streets. His garden was noted throughout 
the city, and a pear tree which he had brought over from 
Europe continued to thrive for two hundred years. 

Stuyvesant spent the rest of his life on this farm, and died 
at the ripe age of eighty. 

Describe Hudson's voyage: on the ocean; on the river; home again. 

Give an account of Champlain. 

Tell the story of the settlement of New Amsterdam, of its poor 
governors and its troubles. 

Give an account of Stuyvesant : as a soldier ; as a governor. 

Tell the story of the capture of New Sweden ; of the capture of New 
Netherland. 

Has a northwest passage yet been found? Do you know of any 
modem plans for a shorter western water-passage from Europe to 
Asia? What was the principal reason for colonizing New Netherland? 
Were Stuyvesant and Hooker much alike? Had Sweden any right to 
make a colony? Would Roger Williams have said that she had a 
right? Which had the better claim to the land between Connecticut 
and Maryland, Holland or England? How many colonies have we 
now read about? How many of the original thirteen States? 




CHAPTER XI 

Lord Baltimore 
1582-1632 



George Calvert. A few years before Walter Raleigh sent out 
his colonies to Roanoke Island, George Calvert was bom in 
Yorkshire, England. When barely seventeen years of age, he 
was graduated from the University of Oxford. After a few 
years spent in travel he became the private secretary of Sir 
Robert Cecil, the favorite statesman of Queen Elizabeth. 
When James I was king of England, Calvert was made a 
member of his private council, was knighted, and later was 
appointed to one of the highest offices in the English govern- 
ment. 

Sir George Calvert here showed himself to be exact and 
careful in all his work. In his high office he naturally made 
many enemies, but even they always acknowledged his hon- 
esty and purity. He was a most sincere lover of his country, 
but after serving it faithfully for six years he resigned and 
asked permission from the king to retire from public life. 
He did this because he had become a Roman Catholic and 
could no longer uphold the Church of England. The king 
granted his request and honored his faithful servant by making 
him Baron of Baltimore, in Ireland. 

83 



84 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Religious Persecution. The Pilgrims had fled to Holland and 
then to Plymouth because they would not obey the rules of the 
Chtu-ch of England. The Puritans had established Massachu- 
setts Bay as a place of refuge from religious persecution. At 
the same time the Roman Catholics in England were also 
harshly treated, but they had no place to which they might go. 
Lord Baltimore had for years been interested in the new 
colonies in America, and now that he had more leisure he wished 

that he might make a home 
for Catholics also. 

King James and his son, 
King Charles, still remained 
friendly to Lord Baltimore, 
even though he had changed 
his church. Therefore when 
he purchased a part of the 
island of Newfoundland, 
called Avalon, he easily ob- 
tained permission from King 
Charles to colonize it. He 
sent out a colony the year 
after Plymouth was settled, 
and buildings were erected and land was cultivated. A few 
years later he himself visited Avalon, but the cHmate was 
so cold that he was greatly discouraged. He gave up the 
colony and sailed for Virginia. 

Maryland. Baltimore was a Catholic, and the Virginians 
did not like Catholics. Therefore life in Jamestown was 
unpleasant for him, and he returned to England. He was 
still anxious to form a colony, and persuaded King Charles to 
give him land on both sides of Chesapeake Bay, north of the 
Potomac River. Before the deed was signed Baltimore died. 



X^^^ J 


(/^ N. baltimorA 


m k J 


I634>n 


w 


\J 


'^X^ c 


U' i 


J«mntov}tr^^X, 





WHERE BALTIMORE STARTED HIS COLONY 



LORD BALTIMORE. 85 

and his son, Cecil Calvert, became Lord Baltimore, and 
received the grant in his father's stead. 

This was one of the largest free gifts of land ever made 
to any one man. The grant included the present State of 
Maryland and even much more territory. And what do you 
think the king required of Baltimore and his children in pay- 
ment for this land? All he asked was that they would give 
to him at Windsor Castle every year two Indian arrows. 

This was not a very high rent, it is true; but this yearly 
present showed that the king still claimed a higher power over 
the new province than the proprietor, Lord Baltimore. 

A Refuge for Catholics. Cecil Calvert at once began prepara- 
tions to send over a colony. He could not go himself, and 
therefore put his brother Leonard in command. Two vessels 
— one, the Ark, of large size, and the other, the Dove, much 
smaller — sailed in November, with about three hundred 
colonists. The colony was to be a refuge for persecuted 
Catholics, but many of the voyagers were Protestants, and 
Calvert showed his sense of justice by ordering that no one; 
should trouble another on account of the way in which he 
tried to worship God. 

For four months the two vessels continued on their course 
to the new province of Maryland, so named in honor of the 
queen of England, Henrietta Maria. The little company 
landed at an island in the Potomac River and set up a cross, 
claiming the country for Christ and for England. Then the 
Dove was sent farther up the river to seek for a spot for a vil- 
lage. The Potomac Indians were astonished when they saw 
the little vessel, and exclaimed that they would like to see 
the tree from which that great canoe was hollowed out; for 
they knew nothing of fastening different pieces of timber 
together. 



86 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



St. Mary's. Leonard Calvert decided not to settle so far 
from the ocean. He was. not sure what the Indian chieftain 
had meant in his mysterious answer to his question. Calvert 
had asked him: " Shall we stay here or shall we go back? " 
The chief had replied : " You may do as you think best." The 
governor, accordingly, floated down the Potomac and finally 
built a village at St. Mary's (1634), two years before Roger 
Williams fled from Massachusetts Bay and founded Provi- 
dence and Rhode Island. 




A MARYLAND CAVALIER PROTECTING A PURITAN FROM ABUSE. 



Religious Toleration. Lord Baltimore's greatest wish was 
that the colony should be successful and should furnish a safe 
retreat for Catholics. He had no dislike for any who might not 
agree with his own religious views. He was a broad-minded 
man, willing that Protestants and Catholics alike should join in 
his settlement. Therefore, from the very beginning, although 
there was no law to that effect, Baltimore secured religious 
toleration in his colony. By this is meant that no one was 
punished or troubled for his religious beliefs. 



LORD BALTIMORE. 87 

Thus it was that Maryland was the first colony to allow 
its colonists to worship God as they wished. Rhode Island, 
two years later, established by law perfect freedom in all re- 
ligious matters; Pennsylvania, founded fifty years afterward, 
also granted religious freedom. These three colonies differed 
from the others in this respect. Now, the religious liberty of 
Lord Baltimore, of Roger Williams, and of William Penn 
has become the law in each of the forty-six States of our 
Union. 

Mason and Dixon's Line. Maryland was frequently in 
difficulties with the neighboring colonies, but most of the 
quarrels were quietly settled. The boundary line with Penn- 
sylvania caused much trouble, but the two colonies finally 
accepted the line laid out by two surveyors. Mason and Dixon. 
This boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland has been 
called Mason and Dixon's line even to the present time. 
Maryland remained in the possession of the Baltimores most 
of the time, until, with the other colonies, it became independ- 
ent in 1776. 

Give an account of the life of George Calvert until he became Lord 
Baltimore. 

Tell the story of the Avalon colony. 

Give accounts of the grant of Maryland; of the voyage of Leonard 
Calvert ; of the settlement. 

Explain the " religious toleration " of Maryland. 

Newfoundland is not farther north than England; why did its cold 
discourage Calvert? Was the grant of Maryland pleasing to Virginia? 
For what reasons? Why did Leonard Calvert decide to settle near the 
coast? Do you think that the Indian chieftain wanted Calvert to stay? 
Name the colonies that you have already studied, in the order in which 
they were settled, without giving dates. 







CHAPTER XII 

William Penn 

I 644-1 718 



The Quakers. Forty years after the Scrooby band ot 
Separatists fled from England to escape persecution, George 
Fox began to preach new reHgious doctrines that brought to 
him and his followers even more severe persecution. Like the 
Separatists, Fox demanded the right to worship God as seemed 
to him best. He even asked for a simpler form of worship than 
the Pilgrims had sought. He would give to everybody equal 
rights, and he claimed that God only was his superior. 

The company of earnest believers who followed the teaching 
of George Fox called themselves " Friends." Their peculiar 
religious beliefs brought them into constant trouble. They 
were nicknamed Quakers, and soon were commonly known by 
that name. 

Persecution. They were punished for refusing to show 
reverence to the king by removing their hats in his presence. 
They were persecuted because they preached their doctrines 
whenever they found an opportimity. They were whipped 
and imprisoned; they were confined in filthy dungeons; they 
were fined and sold as servants. 

8ft 



WILLIAM PENN. 89 

The Quakers were punished as severely in the colonies as 
they were in the mother country. Even those people who had 
left England because of religious persecution forgot the Golden 
Rule, and treated the Quakers worse, if anything, than they 
themselves had been treated. 

Massachusetts and Connecticut began by banishing the 
Quakers and ordering them not to return. When they did 
come back and continue to preach, they were punished terri- 
bly, and finally some of them^were put to death. After this, 
persecution became less severe, the people began to see more 
of good and less of harm in the Quaker ideas than they had 
supposed, and in time all opposition to them disappeared. 

William Penn. One of the most important followers of 
George Fox, and one who did more for the despised Quakers 
than any one else could have done, was William Penn. This 
famous man was born just before Fox announced the new 
doctrines. While a student at Oxford University, Penn was 
led by a Quaker preacher so far to accept the belief of the 
Friends that he was expelled from college. His father, a 
distinguished naval officer, was extremely angry with his son 
and refused to help him in anyway. After a time, however, 
young William obtained his father's permission to travel and 
study, and he spent a few years abroad. 

One day, while traveling in Ireland, Penn learned that 
his old Oxford friend, the Quaker preacher Thomas Loe, 
was to speak in the neigbhorhood. Penn determined to hear 
him again, and the sermon so moved him that he decided to 
join the despised and persecuted band. When it began to be 
reported in the high society in which the Penn family was 
prominent that " William Penn was a Quaker again or some 
very melancholy thing," his father refused to have anything 
more to do with him. Time and again this sincere Quaker 



90 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



was fined and imprisoned, but all tlie opposition only in- 
creased his enthusiasm. 

After his father's death, Penn received his property. He 
now became interested in America, as he thought that in that 
new world, across the ocean, it might be possible to establish 
a home for the persecuted Friends. In spite of the unpopu- 
larity of his religious belief, Penn had many powerful friends, 

among whom 
was the king's 
brother, James, 
the Duke of 
York. 

The King's 
Debt. It hap- 
pened that 
Penn found 
himself one of 
the owners of 
that part of 
New Jersey 
which was 




called 
Jersey, 
fluence 
became 



West 
His in- 
here 
very 



PENN AS A COURTIER BEFORE KING CHARLES. 



great, but not 

so great as if he 

had been the 

sole owner. He 

began to think about that rich and fertile territory which 

lay across the Delaware River. His father had performed 

many services for the king of England, who, in consequence, 



WILLIAM PENN. Ql 

owed him sixteen thousand pounds. Penn feared that this 
debt might never be paid, and he accordingly proposed to 
King Charles to give him land across the Delaware in place 
of the money due him. 

" After many waitings, watchings, solicitings, and dis- 
putes in council," wrote Penn, " this day my country was 
confiimed to me under the great seal of England." 

Penn had great hopes for the future of his new province. 
He wrote again : ' ' God will bless and make it the seed of a 
nation. I shall have a tender care of the government, that 
it will be well laid at first." 

He at once sent out a company of emigrants, and with 
them instructions as to the founding of a city. He was anx- 
ious to have the capital of his province a more beautiful and 
healthy town than the crowded cities of Europe he knew so 
well. He directed that a site for the city should be chosen 
on the Delaware at some point where " it is most navigable, 
high, dry, and healthy; that is, where most ships can best ride, 
of deepest draught of water, if possible, to load or unload at 
the bank or key-side without boating or lightening of it." 
Here he planned a large and pleasant city, as he hoped, for all 
future time. 

Pennsylvania. Penn was a simple Quaker and wished to 
have nothing done that might make him proud or seem to be 
proud. He suggested that the name of New Wales be given 
to the province, as it was hilly like Wales. But the king's 
secretary, " although a Welshman," refused to accept that 
name. 

Penn next proposed Sylvania, or the forest country, and 
the secretary prefixed the syllable Penn to it. Penn wrote: 
" Though I much opposed it and went to the king to have it 
struck out and altered, he said it was past and would take it 



92 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

on him." The name Pennsylvania was thus given to the col- 
ony in honor of the admiral, Penn's father. Penn had his 
own way, however, in naming the new city. He called it 
Philadelphia, or City of Brotherly Love. 

The City of Brotherly Love. The next year Penn, with a 
company of a hundred settlers, sailed from England. The 
voyage was long and gloomy, nearly one third of the passengers 
dying before the Delaware was reached. Penn landed in New- 
castle in October and was joyfully welcomed, not only by the 
Quakers who had arrived before him, but also by the Swedes, 
the Dutch, and the earlier English colonists. From Newcastle 
Penn proceeded slowly up the Delaware River to the spot 
which had been chosen for the new city. 

In a few months, houses began to appear and streets to be 
laid out in Philadelphia (1683). Penn had purchased the 
ground from the Swedes and was delighted with the spot. 
He said that the situation was " not surpassed by one among 
all the many places I have seen in the world." This was to 
be the city of brotherly love indeed, " the city of refuge, the 
mansion of freedom, the home of humanity." 

Treaty with the Indians. Penn's love for his fellow-men was 
not limited to his countrymen nor to European white men. One 
of his first steps was to bring about a meeting with the Indians, 
in which a treaty of friendship could be arranged. A large 
elm tree, at Shackamaxon, not far from the center of the 
new city, was chosen as the place for the interview. Here 
Penn made a speech which won the friendship of the red 
men. 

Penn told them: " I will not call you children, for parents 
sometimes chide their children too severely; nor brothers 
only, for brothers differ. We are the same as if one man's 
body were to be divided into two parts; we are all one flesh 



WILLIAM PENN 



93 



and blood." The Indians replied: " We will live in love 
with William Penn and his children as long as the moon and 
the sun shall endure." 

Thus was established the province of Pennsylvania, the 
twelfth of the thirteen English colonies. King Charles had 
•given to eight of his 
friends a tract of 
land south of Vir- 
ginia, called Caro- 
lina. Many years 
later this ten4tory 
was divided into 
two colonies. North 
and South Carolina. 
Fifty years after 
Penn had landed at 
Newcastle, James 
Oglethorpe estab- 
lished the thirteenth 
colony (1733). 

Georgia, the young- 
est of the company, 
but now an impor- 
tant State of the 
Union. The thirteen 
colonies, though en- 
gaged now and then 

in struggles with their governors, frequently in conflict with 
the red men, and at times at war with their French and Spanish 
neighbors, nevertheless steadily grew and developed until they 
were ready to become a nation themselves. 




PENN's talk with the INDIANS. 



94 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Tell the story of George Fox and the Quakers. 
Give an account of how William Penn became a Quaker. 
Describe the grant of Pennsylvania; the founding of Philadelphia; 
the treatment of the Indians. 

What religious bodies were persecuted in England? What colonies 
were founded as refuges for persecuted people? Are any of these 
people persecuted in our country to-day ? Why could Penn give great 
aid to the Quakers? Was Penn's choice of a capital for his colony 
wise? Name the thirteen colonies in the order of their settlement. 




A COLONIAL HOME NEAR PHILADELPHIA. 




CHAPTER XIII 

King Philip 

—1676 



Pequot War. The character and condition of the Indian 
tribes and their relation to the colonies form an important 
subject in New England history. In the earliest times the 
settlers and the Indians were at peace with each other. As the 
settlers began to spread over the country, occupying the old 
hunting grounds of the Indians, it was natural that differences 
should spring up, and that Indian wars should follow. 

The earliest important Indian war was with the Pequots, 
about the time that Hooker founded Hartford. In the Con- 
necticut colony the white settlers were so few in number and 
were so scattered that there was great danger that the Indians 
would overcome them and blot out their settlements. The 
Pequots, however, were finally destroyed, and, soon after, the 
colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and 
New Haven formed a league to protect themselves against the 
Indians. They called themselves " The United Colonies of 
New England." 

King Philip's War. Forty years of peace with the Indians 

95 



q6 first steps in the history of our country. 

followed the destruction of the Pequots. This was broken by 
King Philip's War. 

King Philip, as he was usually called, was the son and 
successor of Massasoit, who had been the chief of the Poka- 
nokets or Wampanoags. This was a powerful tribe living in 
Plymouth Colony and along the borders of Rhode Island. 
Most of Rhode Island was occupied by the Narragansetts. 
King Philip and the Pokanokets attempted to induce the 
Narragansetts to join them in a war against the white men, 
but Roger Williams was able to persuade them not to do so. 

This was a great blow to King Philip, and probably saved 
the New England settlements from being entirely destroyed. 
As it was, many towns in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and 
Plymouth were burned by the Indians. The war was brought 
to an end by the death of King Philip near his old home, at Mt. 
Hope, in Bristol, Rhode Island, just across the bay from Fall 
River. After his death the remnants of his army that escaped 
started in retreat across the country northward under Chief 
Annawan. 

The Indian Camp. Annawan and his little army were 
captured by Benjamin Church. This was accomplished by a 
bold stratagem, the account of which is romantic and interest- 
ing. Annawan and his followers, fifty or sixty in number, had 
gone mto camp for the night at the foot of a great rock in 
Rehoboth, a few miles west of Taunton. On one side of their 
camp was this perpendicular rock, and on the other sides a 
great swamp covered with thick trees and bushes. 

Captain Church, with a few men and two or three friendly 
Indians, crawled out upon this rock after dark and looked 
down upon Annawan 's camp. The rock was fifty or sixty 
feet high. There was no way of approach but to climb down 
the steep side. Chtirch had an old Indian and his daughter 



KING PHILIP. 97 

go down foremost with their baskets at their backs, so that 
Annawan, if he should see them, would not suspect any 
harm-. In the shadow of these two and their baskets, Chuich 
and his companions crept down also. Fortunately an Indian 
woman w^as pounding corn in a mortar, the noise of which 
prevented their movement being heard. On reaching the 
foot of the rock. Church stepped over Annawan's son and 
sprang to the spot where the Indians had stacked their mus- 
kets. 

The Capture. The Indian chief started up and cried out, 
" Howoh! howoh!" This means, " I am taken." Seeing no 
way of escape, he threw himself back upon the ground and lay 
silent until Captain Church had secured all the arms. Then 
Church sent his friendly Indians to those beyond to tell them 
that their chieftain, Annawan, was taken, and if they would 
surrender peaceably they should have good quarter, but if they 
attempted to escape they would all be slain. The Indians, 
thoroughly disheartened, gave up their arms, both guns 
and hatchets, which were immediately carried to Captain 
Church. 

Having posted his guards, Church turned to Annawan 
and asked, " What have you for supper? " The Indian women 
now prepared supper for Church and his men. Annawan 
asked Church whether he would eat " cow-beef " or " horse- 
beef." The captain told him that " cow-beef " would be more 
acceptable. They made their supper, therefore, from " cow- 
beef " and dried green corn. The Indians had no salt, but 
Captain Church had brought some with him and with this he 
seasoned his meat. 

Church and Annawan now laid themselves down, but they 
both remained wide awake while the rest of the company 
were fast asleep. These two captains — one an Indian, the 



98 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

other a white man — lay upon the ground looking at each 
other perhaps an hour. Captain Church said nothing, be- 
cause he could not speak the Indian language, and he thought 
Annawan could not speak English. At length the Indian 
arose, threw off his blanket, and walked away from the com- 
pany back into the woods. Church moved close to the guns 
and rolled himself over next to young Annawan, so that if 
the Indian should attempt to shoot him his son would be in 
danger. 

Philip's Royalties. The moon was now shining, and after 
a while Church saw Annawan coming toward him with some- 
thing in his hands. Annawan fell upon his knees before the 
captain and said in English, " Great captain! you have killed 
Philip and conquered his country. I believe that I and my 
company are the last that war against the English. You have 
ended the war, and these things belong to you." 

Opening his pack, he pulled out Philip's belt, nine inches 
broad, wrought in various figures, flowers, and pictures of 
many birds and beasts, made with black and white wampum. 

This belt when hung upon Captain Church's shoulders 
reached to his ankles. Annawan then handed him another 
belt of wampum, wrought after the same manner, which 
Philip was accustomed to wear upon his head. It had two 
flags on the hinder part which hung down on his back, and 
another small belt with a star upon the end of it which he 
used to hang upon his breast. These were all edged with 
red hair, which Annawan said came from the Mohawk coun- 
try. He then pulled out two horns of glazed powder and a 
red cloth blanket. 

A Strange Conversation. Annawan told Captain Church that 
these were Philip's royalties, and he thought himself happy in 
presenting them to Church, as he was now entitled to them. 



KING PHILIP. 



99 



They spent the remainder of the night in conversation with 
each other. Annawan gave Captain Church a graphic account 
of his successes in former wars. 

What a picture I These two captains — one the conqueror, 
the other the vanquished — talking all night; and in the 
morning the one with his few men leading the other with 
his larger company to Taunton as prisoners of war ! 




ANNAWAN AS A PRISONER OF WAR. 



King Philip's War was ended. It had lasted a little more 
than one year, but thirteen villages had been burned to ashes 
and others partially destroyed, and more than five hundred 
white settlers had been killed. 

Indian Gratitude. Though the Indians hated the white men 
and often murdered them without reason, yet they showed 
strong and true friendship to such as had been friendly to them. 



lOO 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Hugh Cole lived in Swansea, near Mount Hope, He had 
always been friendly to the Indians and had made King Philip 
his friend. Before the war broke out, Philip sent word to 
Cole that trouble was ahead, but that no harm should come to 
him or his family. A little later Philip sent another messenger, 
saying that he could not restrain his yoimg men and Cole 
must take care of himself. He went to a place of safety, but 
the Indians did not bum his house and no one of the Coles 
was ever molested by the Indians in all that terrible war. 

Describe the Pequot War; King Philip's War. 

Tell the story of the capture of Annawan; of his gift to Captain 
Church. 

Give an account of Hugh Cole. 

What colonies were not admitted to the " United Colonies of New- 
England "? Why could Roger Williams persuade the Narragansetts 
not to aid Philip? Wh>' did Annawan yield so easily? Why did 
neither Church nor Annawan sleep? What is meant by " royalties "? 
Had the Indians reason for hating the white men? 





LA SAL"tB^^E£TS 

THE ILLINOTsCrrN-D-uAN 



CHAPTER XIV 

Cavalier de la Salle 

I 643- I 687 



French Explorations. Samuel de Champlain ascended the 
St. Lawrence early in the seventeenth century, and was 
delighted with the great attractions of the river and the charm- 
ing scenery of the country. He built the City of Quebec the 
year after the settlement of Jamestown, and has therefore been 
called the " Founder of New France." He was anxious to 
establish a French empire and the Roman Catholic faith in this 
new world. 

Other French leaders followed Champlain, and in time 
Montreal, Detroit, and Fort Mackinaw^ were built. Many 
French priests came to New France and established missions 
among the Indians. French fur traders also made friendship 
with the red men, in order to obtain supplies of furs. These 
priests and traders were active in exploring the country, and, 



I02 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

while the English colonists remained near the Atlantic coast, 
pushed farther and farther inland. 

Father Marquette discovered the upper Mississippi just 
before King Philip's War in New England. He floated down 
the great river as far as the mouth of the Arkansas. Father 
Hennepin pushed his canoe up the Mississippi until he saw 
the Falls of St. Anthony, at what is now Minneapolis, The 
greatest of the French explorers was Cavalier de la Salle, 
who gave to France, by his discoveries, her claim to the 
great Mississippi valley. 

La Salle's Strenuous Life. La Salle's life was filled with 
hardships and romantic adventures. He first went to Canada 
when he was twenty- three years of age. He engaged in the 
fur trade and made many excursions into the back country 
among the Indian tribes. 

Think of this Frenchman as, with a few pioneers to help him, 
he built a vessel of sixty tons on Lake Erie. In this craft he 
sailed from Lake Erie, past Fort Detroit, up Lake Huron, by 
Fort Mackinaw, and through Lake Michigan. Near the site 
of the present city of Peoria, he built a fort which he hoped to 
make a center around which a large French colony might grow. 

His Resolute Purpose. But misfortunes met him on every 
hand. His vessel was lost on a voyage eastward to get supplies 
for the new settlement, and La Salle was compelled to return 
to Canada on foot to obtain the needed food and ammunition. 
While in Quebec, his enemies opposed him at every step and 
the Indians destroyed his fort at Peoria. 

Not discouraged, but eager as ever, La Salle again started 
for the Mississippi valley. He built another fort, and de- 
scended the Mississippi River in canoes, continuing southward 
until he reached the mouth of the river. Here with imposing 
ceremonies he took possession of the coimtry in the name of 



CAVALIER DE LA SALLE. IO3 

France. To him belongs the glory of tracing the great river 
from its upper waters to the sea, and of connecting the discov- 
eries of De Soto in the south with those of Joliet and Marquette 
in the north. 

Louisiana. In honor of his king, Louis XIV, La Salle 
named this great valley Louisiana. The valley of the St. 
Lawrence, as we have seen, was called Canada. These two 
valleys made up the whole region of North America that was 
claimed by France, and were together called New France. 

La Salle and his party, returning northward, paddled up 
the river and then crossed the country to Canada. Now La 
Salle sailed for France, to obtain a commission to plant a 
French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River. He 
was determined that the fertile valley of this greatest of all 
rivers should belong to France. He obtained his commission, 
and in four vessels set sail for the Gulf of Mexico. 

Misfortunes. In these vessels he carried colonists and 
supplies, with the intention of making permanent settlements. 
He was disappointed in the character of his men. Many of 
his soldiers were merely vagabonds and beggars from the 
streets, who had never handled muskets. Many of his work- 
men, whom he supposed were skilled mechanics, proved to be 
totally ignorant of the trades for which they were employed. 
Besides, La Salle had almost a constant quarrel with Beaujeu, 
his captain. 

When the expedition reached the Gulf of Mexico, La Salle 
failed to find the mouth of the Mississippi. Finally the 
whole company landed in what is now called Matagorda Bay, 
in the southwestern comer of Texas. Here they built a fort, 
which La Salle named St. Louis. One of the vessels loaded 
with valuable stores was wrecked at the entrance of the bay. 
Quarrels am.ong the men continued, until finally Beaujeu and 



104 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



his crew set sail for France. One small vessel was left, but 
this was afterw^ard wrecked. 
La Salle's Death. La Salle made repeated journeys to dis- 
cover the mouth of the 
Mississippi. Nearly two 
years passed and mat- 
ters went from bad 
to worse. He finally 
made a last and desper- 
ate effort to reach the 
river, hoping to ascend 
it and bring relief from 
Canada to his perish- 
ing colonists. But 
upon a branch of the 
River Trinity, he was 
murdered by one of his 
followers. Thus ended 
in a fearful tragedy 
the life of the foremost 
pioneer of the Great 
West. 

Father Anastace, 
who stood by his side 
when the fatal shot was 
fired, said : " Thus per- 
ished our wise con- 
ductor, constant in adversities, intrepid, adroit, skilled, and 
capable of anything. He, who during a period of twenty years 
had softened the fierce temper of savage nations, was massacred 
by his own people whom he had loaded with benefits. He 
died in the vigor of life, In the midst of his career and labors, 




FRENCH EXPLORATIONS. 



CAVALIER DE LA SALLE. 



105 



without the consolation of having seen their results." This 
great Frenchman deserved a better outcome for his life's 
work. 

But he had done great things for France. He — and we 
might almost say he alone — had by his great daring and his 
repeated explorations given to his king the entire valley of 
the Mississippi River from the Alleghanies to the Rocky 
Mountains. 

Give an account of the settlement of Canada. 

Describe La Salle's trip to Illinois; his journey down the Missis 
sippi River ; his search for its mouth ; his failure and death. 

What was the principal business of the French in Canada? Was 
this like that of the men in the English colonies? Who first discov- 
ered the Mississippi River? Who first sailed down this river? Who 
discovered its motith? What was the principal cause of La Salle's 
final failure? 




iii|ii)!*J)i^ _ 

A Birch Q&rk C»no« 




CHAPTER XV 

James Wolfe 

1727-1759 

The French and Indian War. For a hundred and fifty years 
a contest went on between the kings of France, Spain, and 
Great Britain, to see which of them should finally control 
America. 

At the middle of the eighteenth century, France held the 
valley of the St. Lawrence and the entire valley of the Missis- 
sippi, from the AUeghanies to the Rocky Mountains. These 
two great valleys formed by far the best portion of the con- 
tinent. Spain had Florida, Mexico, and the country farther 
south. The English provinces lay along the Atlantic coast 
from Maine to Georgia. 

This contest was finally ended by a war which has usually 
been called the French and Indian War. This name means 
that it was the war fought by England and her colonies 
against France and her American settlers and her allies 
among the Indian tribes. The war closed with the battle of 
Quebec. 

A Decisive Battle. This battle was not great in the number 
of persons engaged, but it was great in its results. General 

106 



JAMES WOLFE. IO7 

Wolfe, who commanded the British army, brought into the 
engagement but Httle more than three thousand men, while the 
French opposed him with nearly seven thousand. Probably 
there were less than ten thousand men actively engaged, 
but it was one of the decisive battles of the world, because 
of the changes which it made in the future history of North 
America. 

General Wolfe. General James Wolfe was one of England's 
distinguished soldiers. His father was General Edward 
Wolfe, also an officer of distinction in the British army, w^ho 
had risen from grade to grade until he had attained the rank 
of major-general. 

James was bred to the army, being adjutant of his regiment 
when he was but sixteen years of age, a lieutenant-colonel at 
twenty-three, a brigadier-general at thirty-one, and a major- 
general at thirty-two. Yet he was his mother's boy, delicate, 
affectionate, thoughtful, and refined. At one time he 
wrote to her: " The greatest happiness that I wish for is to 
see you happy. If you stay much at home I will come and 
shut myself up with you for three weeks or a month and play 
at piquet; and you shall laugh at my short red hair as much 
as you please." 

His Appearance. How do you suppose this young man 
looked when he commanded the British army at Quebec, 
wearing the title of major-general? *' The forehead and chin 
receded; the nose, slightly upturned, formed with the other 
features the point of an obtuse triangle ; the mouth was by no 
means shaped to express resolution; and nothing but the 
clear, bright, and piercing eye bespoke the spirit within. On 
his head he wore a black three-cornered hat ; his red hair was 
tied in a queue behind; his narrow shoulders, slender body, 
and long, thin limbs were cased in a scarlet frock, with broad 



io8 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



cuffs, and ample skirts that reached the knee ; while on his left 
arm he wore a band of crape in mourning for his father, of 
whose death he had heard a few days before." 

An Impregnable Fortress. The time had come for his 
decisive battle. His small army had tried again and again 
to bring on the contest. The French occupied the Heights of 

Quebec, and for a long time 
the English could not gain 
an approach. Flags of truce 
sometimes passed between 
the two armies. At one time 
a Frenchman said: " You 
will demolish the town, no 
doubt, but you shall never 
get inside of it." Wolfe re- 
plied: " I will have Quebec 
if I stay here till the end of 
November." 

Finally Wolfe discovered 

a narrow path by which he 

thought he might be able 

to scale the Heights. This 

path led up from what is now 

known as Wolfe's Cove, a 

mile or two up the river from 

the city of Quebec. During the night for two full hours the 

procession of boats carrying the soldiers floated silently down 

the St. Lawrence to this little cove. 

A Hero Greater than a Poet. General Wolfe v/as in one of 
the foremost boats. John Robison, afterward professor in the 
University of Edinburgh, who sat in the same boat, used after- 
ward to tell how Wolfe, as they floated along, repeated Gray's 




WOLFE RECITING GRAY S ELEGY ON 
THE WAY TO BATTLE. 



JAMES WOLFE. lOQ 

"Elegy in a Country Church yard." Among the verses was 
one which so soon illustrated his own fate : 

" The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, 

And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, 
Await alike the inevitable hour. 

The paths of glory lead hut to the grave." 

Robison said that, after Wolfe had recited this stanza in a low 
voice and quiet manner, he remarked: " Gentlemen, I would 
rather have written those lines than take Quebec." Every- 
body was silent in the boat when he made this statement. 
No one ventured to say that the hero is greater than the poet. 

His men landed rapidly and pushed up the narrow path to 
the summit. At the top the sentry challenged them. He 
was overpowered, and soon the first detachment was on the 
heights called the " Plains of Abraham." These heights were 
so named because a pilot whose name was Abraham Martin 
had owned this piece of ground in the early times of the 
colony. This was in the early dawn, but the real battle did 
not take place until after ten o'clock. 

The Battle of Quebec. Montcalm, who commanded the 
French forces, was greatly surprised to find that the English 
had performed the " impossible feat " and had really gained 
the Heights. He attacked Wolfe with gallant energy. In the 
sharp battle which followed, both commanders were wounded. 
Wolfe led the charge and was shot in the wrist. He wrapped 
his handkerchief about it and kept on. Another shot lodged 
in his breast and he sank to the ground. A moment after, 
some one exclaimed: " They run! See how they run! " 

" Who run? " inquired Wolfe. 

" The enemy, sir; they give way everywhere." 

" Go," said the dying man, " tell Colonel Burton to march 



no FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




ENGLISH TROOPS SCALING THE HEIGHTS OF QUEBEC. 



JAMES WOLFE. Ill 

Webb's regiment down to Charles River, to cut off their 
retreat from the bridge." Then he turned over on his side 
and murmured: " Now God be praised, I will die in peace." 

Death of Montcalm. Montcalm, fighting bravely and 
impetuously, received a shot through his body. Some one 
shrieked : " Oh, my God ! my God ! The marquis is killed ! " 

" It's nothing, it's nothing," cried Montcalm. " Don't be 
troubled for m.e, my good friends." The French were com- 
pletely routed. Montcalm was carried within the walls of the 
city. He asked the surgeon how long he might live. The 
reply was: " Twelve hours, more or less." 

" So much the better," replied the general. " I am happy 
that I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." 

The next morning he breathed his last. Late in the evening 
he was buried under the floor of the chapel of the Ursuline 
Convent. A crowd of townspeople witnessed the burial. 
Tears and sobs burst forth. It seemed as if the last hopes of 
the colony were buried with him. 

Indeed, it was true that the funeral of Montcalm was the 
funeral of New France. After five days the city surrendered. 

France Loses Her American Possessions. The treaty of 
peace followed (1763). England demanded everything, and 
obtained whatever she asked for. She swept France entirely 
off this continent. She took from France all Canada, the whole 
valley of the St. Lawrence, and that vast territory between 
the Alleghanies and the Mississippi. 

She, however, allowed France to cede to Spain all that 
territory lying between the Mississippi and the Rocky Moun- 
tains, which was afterward called Louisiana. Spain ceded to 
Great Britain East and West Florida. With the triumph of 
Wolfe on the Heights of Abraham the story of New France 
ended and the history of the United States began. 



112 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




AMEBICA BEFORE AND AFTER THE FRENCH WAR. 



JAMES WOLFE. II3 

Count de Vergennes at this time was minister from France 
to Constantinople. When he heard of the treaty he said: 
" England has overshot the mark. She has gone too far; she 
will now tax her American colonies to help defray the ex- 
penses of this war. They no longer need her protection, 
and therefore will throw off all dependence upon the mother 
country." What a true prophet he was ! 

State the position of France, Spain, and England on this continent 
before the French and Indian War ; after the same war. 

Give an account of General Wolfe. Describe the trip down the 
river; the ascent to the plains; the battle. Tell the story of the 
death of Wolfe; of the death of Montcalm. 

In looking at the upper map, remember where the English sailor 
Cabot made his voyage, the Spaniard de Soto traveled, and the French- 
men Champlain and La Salle explored; do you see any reasons for the 
divisions of the map? Why did the English fail so often to " gain an 
approach " to Quebec? Do you think that the hero may be greater 
than the poet? Each of the generals was glad to die; why? 



■Alll 



The "Old South,"' where 
Adams urged the people of Bos- 
ton to resist the British, still 
stands, almost as on the day It 
heard his eloquence. Saved 
from sale by those who loved it 
for its memories, it is used as 
an historical museum and for 
patriotic meetings. 





In the busiest part of Boston 
stands old Faneuil Hall, the 
"Cradle of Liberty." Thelower 
floor is used for markets, and the 
great halt, with walls covered 
with portraits of famous pa- 
triots, is still, as in the Revolu- 
tion, the meeting place of the 
people. 



CHAPTER XVI 



Samuel Adams 

1722-1803 

The Growth of the Colonies. After the great treaty of 1703, 
by which France divided between England and Spain her 
possessions in North America, the EngHsh colonies began a 
new life. 

Before this time the French on the north and west were 
continually troubling the English settlements, and the Span- 
iards on the south were frequently in conflict with them. 
Now Canada and Florida were imder English government, and 
the thirteen colonies had only the ever-present Indians to fear. 

Another change had come at the same time. These thirteen 
colonies had been small and weak; they had been able only 
with difficulty to keep themselves alive ; they could not always 
protect themselves without help from England. But now 
they had largely outgrown their weakness; their population 
and wealth had greatly increased ; they had learned in the last 
French war that they could fight well, if necessary; they no 

1x4 



SAMUEL ADAMS. II5 

' longer felt dependent upon help from England. Moreover, 
many of the rivalries and jealousies that had divided the 
colonies had been forgotten as the men had fought together on 
the battlefields or sat around the campfires. A common 
danger and a common foe had brought together for the first 
time all sections of the country. 

England Taxes the Colonies. On the other hand, England 
saw that the colonies were stronger, and thought that they 
ought now to make return for her protection to them. The 
king and the English Parliament believed that the French War 
had benefited the colonies and that they ought to help pay the 
great expenses that had come from it. Therefore Parliament 
decided to tax the colonists. 

But the colonists considered that this was not right, because 
they were subject only to the king and not to Parliament. 
They had no voice in Parliament and did not wish to have. 
They declared, as the English people had declared hundreds of 
years earlier, that no one had the right to tax them; that it 
was just only for them to tax themselves. 

Thus a struggle began between the mother-country and the 
colonies, over the question of taxation. This contest lasted 
for ten years, and was ended by a war which we call the War of 
the American Revolution. What England did and what the colo- 
nies did year by year make an exceedingly interesting story, 
but v.'c can tell here only a few of the most important facts. 

The Stamp Act. The struggle began when Parliament passed 
the Stamp Act. 

This Stamp Act required the colonists to buy stamps from 
English officers to place upon all legal papers. No newspapers, 
almanacs, marriage certificates, law documents, or other 
important papers could be printed or written unless they were 
stamped by the proper officers. As these stamps must be 



Il6 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

paid for, this act was a form of taxation. As soon as the 
news of its passage reached America, great excitement arose 
from New Hampshire to Georgia. Speeches were made 
against it in colony after colony. 

The Stamp Act Congress. The two leading colonies were 
Virginia and Massachusetts. Virginia spoke first, being led on 
by the wonderful oratory of Patrick Henry. This brilliant 
young lawyer asserted in the Virginia House of Burgesses that 
each colony had the right to tax itself. In his famous speech 
he declared that the English king, George IH, was acting like 
a tyrant and that he must expect the fate that comes to 
tyrants. 

Massachusetts quickly followed by inviting the other colo- 
nies to send delegates to a congress to be held in New York 
City, to consider what the colonists should do. The Stamp 
Act Congress met and made appeals to the king that their 
rights be not interfered with. A few months later Parliament 
repealed the Stamp Act, and there was great rejoicing when 
the news reached America. 

The Tax on Tea. Parliament did not, however, yield its 
right to tax the colonies, and a year later laid a duty upon 
many articles which might be imported by America. Again 
the colonists were stirred with anger and at once began to 
resist. They formed associations which agreed to import none 
of those articles upon which the duty was laid. 

One of these articles was tea, and for years almost no tea 
was seen upon the tables of the patriotic colonists. As a 
result, the money obtained by this taxation was very little, 
indeed, not sufficient to pay the salaries of the officers who 
collected it. 

Samuel Adams. Such a conflict as had here arisen always 
brings some great man forward to be a leader. In Massachu- 



SAMUEL ADAMS. 



117 



setts this leader was Samuel Adams. His father had always 
been an earnest patriot, and had filled his son with an enthusi- 
astic belief in the future greatness of Massachusetts and her 
sister colonies. 

The year that the Stamp Act was passed, Samuel Adams 
was chosen one of Boston's four representatives to the Massa- 




A PATRIOT COLONIAL DAME TELLS HER GUEST, " WE HAVE NO TEA ON 



OUR TABLE. 



chusetts Legislature or General Court. He was soon elected 
clerk, and for ten years he was the head and front, the leader 
in every movement in the colony to resist the English Parlia- 
ment and its claim of the right to tax the colonies. He took 
the lead in Boston in the formation of the " Non-Importation 
Associations," and daily and hourly guided everything with 
his own hand. 



Il8 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

The Dispute becomes a Quarrel. Little by little the dispute 
grew into a quarrel, and the quarrel became more and more 
violent. Little by little the anger of the English authorities 
and of the colonists increased until they seemed to have nothing 
in common. 

It needed but a trifle to bring the two parties to blows, and 
that came in 1773. King George III directed that cargoes 
of tea should be sent to America and the duty collected upon 
it. At once fierce opposition was shown throughout the colo- 
nies. The first vessel arrived in Philadelphia and was im- 
mediately sent back. Another sailed into Charleston Harbor, 
where the tea was landed; but it was stored in damp cellars 
and rotted. A third was compelled to return to England as 
soon as it reached New York. At Annapolis a committee of 
citizens compelled the owner of the Peggy Stewart to bum 
his vessel and her cargo of tea. 

In Boston. The great struggle, however, came in Boston. 
Here the governor was loyal to England, and was determined 
that the tea should be landed. Besides, as there had been 
trouble in Boston before, English soldiers were stationed in the 
town and English war-vessels in the harbor. 

When the ships arrived, a town-meeting was held in Faneuil 
Hall to determine what should be done. Samuel Adams took 
the lead at once, and, in the presence of thousands, moved that: 
" This body is absolutely determined that the tea now arrived 
shall be returned to the place from whence it came." This 
was agreed to without a single vote " No," and the owner was 
ordered not to land any of the tea. 

The governor, however, refused to permit the return of the 
vessels. Another town-meeting filled the Old South Meeting- 
House and the streets adjoining. The people again voted 
that the tea must be sent back, and the owner went to the 



SAMUEL ADAMS. 



119 



governor for permission. While he was gone, the people waited 
in anxious expectation; darkness arrived and the church was 
lighted only by a few candles, but the crowd still lingered. 

The Tea Party. Finally 
the owner of the tea returned 
and reported that the gov- 
ernor still refused. There- 
upon Samuel Adams arose, 
and said in a quiet but clear 
voice : ' * This meeting can do 
nothing more to save the 
country." 

This was doubtless a sig- 
nal, for immediately a war- 
whoop was heard, and forty 
or fifty men, dressed as Mo- 
hawk Indians, rushed by the 
doors. The crowd followed 
them to the wharves and 
eagerly watched them as 
they boarded the vessels and 
threw three hundred chests 
of tea into the sea. 

Nothing else was done; but the tea was not landed nor 
was a duty paid. This action at Boston — the " Tea 
Party," as it was called — seemed worse than that of any 
of the other colonial towns, and Parliament immediately 
began to punish the rebellious citizens of the capital of Massa- 
chusetts Bay. 

English Retaliation. Already the struggle is about to 
break out into open fighting. An English general is made 
governor of Massachusetts, and to him is given great power 




THE BOSTON TEA PARTY. 



I20 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

over the colony. He seeks to deprive the colonists of all 
means of carrying on war, if they should be driven to it. 

He sends portions of his army out in various directions 
to capture cannon and ammunition wherever he hears that 
any is stored. He tries to seize cannon at Salem, and his 
soldiers can scarcely be prevented from firing upon the people. 
He attempts to destroy the ammunition stored at Concord 
and causes the first bloodshed in the Revolution, as we shall 
see in another chapter. 

Patriots at the General Court. Meanwhile Samuel Adams, 
John Hancock, and other Massachusetts patriots are actively 
at work. Governor Gage calls the General Court to meet at 
Salem. The representatives come together and are ready to 
begin their sesvsion, but their clerk, Samuel Adams, is not 
present. Has he been captured by Governor Gage's soldiers? 
No ! for here he comes. As he enters the hall, he sees a group 
of Tories, or friends of the king, gathered about the clerk's 
desk, and one of them quietly sitting in the clerk's chair. 

" Mr. Speaker," says the clear voice of Adams, " where is 
the place for your clerk?" The speaker points to the place. 

" Sir," continues Adams, " my company will not be pleasant 
to the gentlemen who occupy it. I trust they will remove to 
another part of the house." 

Thus, fearless and determined, Samuel Adams won his 
way in spite of all opposition. He saw that the colonies 
must work together, and he decided that Massachusetts ought 
to call a congress of all the colonies. But he knew that 
Governor Gage would dismiss the General Court if he should 
suspect what was being planned. 

Adams Proposes a Continental Congress. When all was 
ready Adams suddenly locked the door and directed the 
doorkeeper to allow no one to enter or leave. He then 



SAMUEL ADAMS. 121 

proposed that a Continental Congress should meet at 
Philadelphia and that five men be chosen to represent 
Massachusetts in that Congress. 

The Tories attempted to get out of the hall, but Adams 
locked the door and put the key in his pocket. One of them 
did escape, however, and carried the news to Gage, who im- 
mediately sent a message to the court, ordering it to disband. 
His dismissing of the court came too late, however, for not 
until the delegates had been chosen was the messenger ad- 
mitted, notwithstanding his loud pounding upon the door. 
The deed was done. Now Samuel Adams must carry on his 
work at Philadelphia as well as at home. 

The First Continental Congress. The first Continental 
Congress met in September (1774), and a second Congress was 
called for the next May (1775 ). This met just after the first 
blood had been shed at Lexington and Concord, and war had 
evidently begun. Congress appointed Colonel Washington to 
be " General and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the 
United Colonies," and also took such other steps as it found 
necessary to govern the coimtry while struggling against 
English oppression. 

All this time very few persons had any desire to sepa- 
rate from England and become independent. Nearly all the 
colonists wished merely that the mother-country would grant 
them their rights. 

Independence Must Come. Samuel Adams had been for a 
long time, however, certain that the struggle must result in 
independence, but he saw that the people were not yet ready 
for such a step. The war must continue and the hostility to 
England must increase, before that end could be reached. 

The idea that the colonists should declare themselves free 
and independent was first publicly proposed by Thomas 



122 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Paine. He published a pamphlet, called " Common Sense," 
in which he said that independence must come some time, 
and easier now than later. 

Soon the colonies began themselves to speak for independ- 
ence. North Carolina directed its 
delegates in Congress to agree with 
other delegates in declaring indepen- 
dence. Rhode Island voted that it 
was no longer subject to the king, prac- 
tically declaring itself independent. 

South Carolina 
took the next 
step, followed by 
Virginia and 
Connecticut. 

Richard Henry 
Lee, a delegate 
from Virginia, 
moved in Con- 
gress that "These 
United Colonies 
are, and of right 
ought to be, free and index)endent States." 

The Declaration of Independence. On July 2, 1776, this 
motion was adopted ; and from that day the United States has 
been a free and independent nation. A committee of five was 
appointed to draw up a Declaration of Independence, in which 
the whole world should be told the reasons for the separation 
from England. 

Two days later the Declaration of Independence, written 
by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted, and the first Fourth of 
July had come. Four days later the Declaration was publicly 




IN THE COUNTS 

lEW ENGLAND COLONIAL HOUSES. 



SAMUEL ADAMS. I23 

read to the citizens of Philadelphia, and the great bell on the 
Pennsylvania State House was rung. On this bell was the 
motto, " Proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all the 
inhabitants thereof." 

A few days afterward the delegates in Congress signed 
their names to the Declaration. The name of the president, 
John Hancock, written in a bold hand, — - which, as he said, 
George HI could easily read, — headed the list. 

Adams's Great Work. Samuel Adams continued to be the 
servant of the people of his loved colony and State, being, in 
turn, representative to the General Court, State senator, and 
governor. For twelve years he had worked early and late, 
employing all his powers to lead the thirteen colonies to unite 
as one people, and manage their affairs for themselves. 

For this purpose the United Colonies must be independent, 
and now they had so declared themselves. 

Samuel Adams's great work was now done. He left it to 
other leaders, like Washington and Greene, to bring the war 
to an end and comipel England to acknowledge that the United 
States were free and independent. 

Give an account of the general causes of the American Revolution. 
Tell the story of the Stamp Act, the tea tax, and the " Tea Party." 
Give an account of Samuel Adams: in the Old South Church; in the 
Salem court-room ; as he put the key in his pocket. 
State what Congress did. 

Tell how the idea of independence grew in the colonies. 
Describe the different steps taken by Congress in July, 1776. 

How did Wolfe aid in preparing the way for the United States? 
Could the colonies have helped pay the debt without being taxed by 
Parliament? What is a tax? Is there a stamp tax to-day? What is a 
" Non-Tmportation Association "? Was Boston's destruction of the 
tea a worse act than those of the other towns? Can you think of any 
reason why Governor Gage called the General Court to meet at Salem 
rather than at Boston? Was the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence in any way a dangerous act? 




Pa,ul ReveVe 

&I ar m I ng, t he c o u n t rv 



CHAPTER XVII 

Paul Revere 

1735-1818 



An Active Patriot. Paul Revere, from his romantic story, is 
one of the most famous of the Revolutionary heroes. His 
father being a goldsmith, Paul was trained in that business, and 
became expert in drawing and designing. He w^as especially 
skilful in working in copper and brass, and cast many church 
bells and bronze cannon. When the Massachusetts State 
House was built on Beacon Hill in Boston, he was grand 
master of the Masonic Fraternity and laid the comer-stone. 

Revere was a very active patriot during the years preceding 
the Revolution. Together with William Dawes, he was a 
leader in a secret society of about thirty young men, who 
watched the movements of the British soldiers and observed 
the plans of the Tories. These young men took turns in 
patrolling the streets, and whatever they discovered they 
reported to John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other patriots. 

During this time Paul Revere went to Philadelphia to learn 



PAUL REVERE. 



125 



how to make gunpowder, and on his return he built a powder- 
mill and put it into successful operation. In the Boston 
" Tea Party," which destroyed so great an amount of tea in 
Boston Harbor, Revere was one of the prime movers. 

As we have seen in the story of Adams, General Gage deter- 
mined to send an armed force to Concord to capture military 
stores secreted there. He also desired to arrest Samuel 
Adams and John Hancock, and to send them to England to be 
tried for treason. 

The Expedition to Lexington. At this time these men were 
in Lexington preparing to go to Philadelphia to join the second 
Continental Congress. Gage was all ready to send the troops 
from Boston to Lexington and Concord, when the patriot 




BAY 



TON Cj 
HARBOR Jj al 



WHERE REVERE AND DAWES RODE, THE NIGHT BEFORE LEXINGTON AND 

CONCORD. 

General Warren was told that they were about to start. This 
was on the night of the i8th of April, 1775. Warren at once 
decided to send William Dawes to Lexington by way of Rox- 
bury, Brighton, and Watertown, and Paul Revere by way of 
Charlestowii and Medford. 

It was a wise precaution on the part of General Warren 



126 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

to send men to arouse the people and notify Adams and Han- 
cock. Warren was shrewd and sagacious. He sent two men 
instead of one, so that if the British should capture one of 
them, the other might perhaps get through. Then again, 
Dawes would notify the people through what is now 
called Brookline, Brighton, and Watertown, while Revere 
waked those along the road through Charlestown and Medford. 

The Midnight Ride. We can easily imagine these two men, 
earnest in purpose and full of zeal for the cause they served, 
galloping along the country roads, stopping at the house of 
every mintite-man, rapping upon the door, and calling upon 
him to arise, take his musket, powder-horn, and shot-bag, and 
hasten to Lexington to oppose and dispute the passage of the 
British soldiers through the country. 

The dogs barked, the children were frightened, and a great 
commotion was stirred up everywhere. On they went, and 
at each farmhouse you might see the tin lantern hastily 
lighted, the minute-man buckle on his belt and cartridge-box, 
take down his musket from the two wooden pins over the 
door, kiss his wife good-by, saddle and bridle his horse almost 
as quickly as the story can be told, and ride post haste toward 
Lexington Green. 

In the early hours of April 19 both the young men reached 
Lexington and gave notice to Adams and Hancock. There 
they were joined by Samuel Prescott, " a high son of liberty," 
and the three rode onward from Lexington toward Concord, 
arousing the people along the route. On their way, in the 
town of Lincoln, they met a party of British officers. Prescott 
at once put spurs to his horse, leaped over a stone wall, and 
galloped onward for Concord. Revere and Dawes were taken 
prisoners and were marched back to Lexington, where they 
were released. 



PAUL REVERE, I27 

The Patriots Gather. And now, at about two o'clock in the 
morning, the bell of the old meeting-house at Lexington rang 
out in sharp and rapid peals. Its strokes were quick and 
heavy. It seemed to say: " Rouse-ye, rouse-ye; wake-up, 
wake-up; free-dom, free-dom; liber-ty, liber-ty; all-awake, 
all-awake." This midnight peal soon brought together the 
people of the village, old and young, with their firelocks and 
ammimition, ready to defend their town and dispute the 
advance of the British. 

Messages were sent everywhere to all the cross-roads, and 
the minute-men of the neighborhood were quickly notified. 
What a hurrying and scurrying was there! What intense 
anxiety! Men hastily leaving their homes unprotected, their 
wives weeping, the children scared out of sleep by the cries; 
the men for the first time in their lives taking arms, without 
guides, counselors, or leaders, hurrying together with one 
common impulse to fight their common foe, the insolent 
British invaders! 

The British at Lexington. At early dawn the British forces, 
eight hundred strong, drew up and formed a line of battle at 
the village of Lexington. They were led by Major Pitcaim, 
who, finding the mintite-men ready to oppose his march, rode 
out in front of his troops and cried : ' ' Disperse, ye villains ! Ye 
rebels, disperse ! Lay down your arms ! Lay down your arms 
and disperse!" But the patriots stood motionless,— " too 
few to resist, too brave to fly." 

Pitcaim then drew his sword, discharged his pistol, and 
with a loud voice erica out, " Fire ! " The patriots plainly saw 
that they could not oppose the progress of Pitcaim's army; 
so they withdrew and left them to go on to Concord. 

Concord Bridge. Among the most active that morning was 
William Emerson, the minister of Concord. He came out, gun 



128 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

in hand, his powder-horn and pouch of balls slung over his 
shoulder. By his sermons and his prayers his flock had learned 
to hold the defense of their liberties as a part of their covenant 




THE FIGHT AT CONCORD. 



with God; his presence with arms strengthened their sense of 
duty, though they would not allow him to fight. 

The Americans made a stand at Concord Bridge. There 
the British fired upon them, and Major Buttrick, of Concord, 
leaped up and cried out: " Fire! fellow-soldiers, for God's 
sake, fire I " 



PAUL REVERE. 



129 



" By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 

Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, 

Here once the embattled farmers stood. 

And fired the shot heard round the world." 

War Begun. The Revolutionary War had begun. All the 
wav back to Boston the redcoats marched in great haste, 
harassed by the patriots who fired upon them from behind 
walls and rocks and trees. The loss of the British during this 
retreat was very great. They had marched out of Boston, 
insolent as usual, to the tune of " Yankee 
Doodle." They returned utterly ex- 
hausted, leaving in killed, wounded, and 
missing nearly three hundred men. 

The Conti];iental Congress met and vig- 
orously commenced to prepare for war. 
It voted an army,, and on the 15th of 
June, 1775, George Washington was 
unanimously elected commander-in-chief. 

Meantime everything in and about 
Boston displayed intense activity. The 
British army held the city, and the pa- 
triot army was scattered around it. 

The Battle of Bunker Hill. The first 
great battle was fought at Btmker Hill on 
the 17th of June. During the previous 
night the hill had been fortified by the patriots, and early in 
the morning the British opened fire from the deck of a vessel 
in the channel. Just after midday three thousand British 
soldiers landed at the foot of the hill and marched straight 
up toward the American works. They were met by a ter- 
rific discharge of musketry and retreated in great disorder. 

The officers rallied the troops and they advanced the 




FLAG USED BY THE 

NEW ENGLAND TROOPS 

AT THE BATTLE OF 

BUNKER HILL. 



I30 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

second time up the hill. The patriots reserved their fire 
till the British were within five or six rods, and then the 
slaughter was fearful. A second time they retreated, but 
British honor was at stake, — the fort must be carried, 
Charlestown had been set on fire and nearly five hundred 
buildings were burned. Moreover, the Americans had used 
up their powder and ball. At the third British charge they 
were therefore obliged to retreat. 

They withdrew in good order across the neck to the main- 
land, but during the retreat General Warren was shot in the 
head and died instantly. This was a deep loss to the Ameri- 
can cause. The battle was over, and the British held the field. 

An American recently, in Quebec, was shown an old cannon. 
The Canadian said : 

" We took this cannon from you at Bunker Hill." 

" Well," said the American, " you have the cannon, but 
we have the hill." 

This battle showed General Gage that the Americans were 
not to be easily subdued. Franklin wrote to his English 
friends: "The Americans will fight; England has lost her 
colonies forever." 

Give an account of Revere 's early life. 

Tell the story of the night of April i8; of the battle of Lexington; 
of the battle at Concord. 

Describe the battle of Bunker Hill. 

Why did Revere want to know how to make gunpowder? Why 
did Gage desire the arrest of Adams and Hancock? Where do you 
understand that General Warren was on the night of the i8th of April? 
Why did Pitcairn call the men at Lexington " rebels "? What did the 
minute-men do after the battle at Concord? Who were the men in 
the " patriot army " at the battle of Bunker Hill ? Who won the battle 
of Bunker Hill? Did the battle aid the Americans in any way? 




CHAPTER XVIII 



George Washington 

1732-1799 



A Distinguished Virginian. We have already been made 
acquainted with Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, two Boston 
boys. We have also heard about Patrick Henry, a native of 
Virginia. Now we shall learn about the most distinguished 
man that Virginia ever produced, — George Washington. 

George Washington was bom February 22, 1732. His 
birthplace was not far from the lower Potomac River, at a 
place called Pope's Creek, in Westmoreland County. His 
father was Augustine Washington, and his mother was Mary 
Ball. He was the oldest child of his mother, and his father 
died when he was eleven years of age. Few sons ever had a 
more lovely and more devoted mother, and it is certainly 
true that few mothers ever had a more dutiful and affectionate 
son. 



132 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

In those early days the country sections of Virginia had 
few inhabitants. Well-to-do people had large plantations and 
but few neighbors. Traveling was mostly done on horse- 
back. Negro slaves were numerous. Schools were few in 
that thinly settled region, but young Washington had the 
best advantages that the times afforded. He learned to read 
well, to write well, to " cipher " well, and to be an expert land 
surveyor. 

Boyhood. In his boyhood he was fond of mathematical 
studies and athletic sports. He had great strength and 
endurance. Tall, well formed, hardy, he could surpass all 
other boys in leaping, jumping, wrestling, and running. In 
his early years he formed his schoolmates into a military 
company and drilled them in the tactics. In his boyhood he 
was a bom leader of boys ; later, in his manhood he was equally 
a leader of men. He was always methodical in his habits, 
careful, exact, and thorough in all he did. Many interesting 
stories are told of Washington's boyhood. Some of them, how- 
ever, are not true. It is a pity that even good stories, which 
are not true, should ever be told, especially of a great man. 

But we must not stop for the interesting incidents of the 
boyhood and youth of Washington. These stories can be 
found in other books, and you will all enjoy reading them. 
When he was sixteen years old, Washington was engaged by 
Lord Fairfax to survey his wide tracts of wild land. These 
lands ran across the Blue Ridge and through the Shenandoah 
Valley. It was a severe task for a boy to undertake. More- 
over, it was full of danger. But it was done in such a manner 
as to give entire satisfaction to his friends and establish his 
reputation as a surveyor. 

Manhood. At nineteen he was appointed adjutant-general 
in the Virginia army. A few years before the French and 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



133 



Indian War, when Washington was only twenty -one, he was 
sent by the governor of Virginia as commissioner to confer 
with the officer commanding the French forces on Lake Erie. 
This was a wonderful journey, full of adventures, but accom- 
plished in safety. He made his report to the governor and his 
journal was published. 

The next year Washington was promoted to be colonel and 
was made second in command of the Virginia forces. Then 
came the famous expedition 
of General Braddock against 
the French and Indians at 
Fort Duquesne and his disas- 
trous defeat at the battle of 
the Monongahela. Colonel 
Washington was present dur- 
ing the battle as Braddock' s 
aid. Braddock was killed 
and the troops returned to 
Virginia in disorder. At the 
age of twenty- three, twenty 
years before the battle of 
Bunker Hill, Washington was placed in full command of the 
entire force of the Virginia militia. 

Commander-in-chief. But we must hasten to consider 
Washington's part in that war which made the United States 
one of the nations of the earth. Washington was a member 
of both the continental congresses that assembled at Phila- 
delphia, and it was at the earnest request of John Adams, of 
Massachusetts, that he was, as we have seen, unanimously 
elected commander-in-chief of all the forces for the defense of 
liberty. 

The battle of Bunker Hill had been fought when, on July 3, 




MOUNT VERNON IN WASHINGTON S 
TIME. 



134 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Washington, drawing his sword, took command of the army 
under an ancient elm which is still standing in Cambridge, 
Massachusetts. For nearly nine months the British army 
under General Gage and Lord Howe was penned up in Boston, 

while all communication 
between the town and 
the surrounding country 
was cut off. 

Evacuation of Boston. 
In March, 1776, Wash- 
ington fortified Dor- 
chester Heights by 
night. 

The British saw them- 
selves so surrounded and 
the city so threatened 
that Gage and his 
forces left the city and 
sailed away to Halifax. 
The Continental troops 
marched in, to the great 
relief of the citizens of 
the town. On the next 
Fourth of July Congress 
passed the immortal Declaration of Independence. 

In New York. The British army, having been driven out 
of Boston, took possession of New York City. 

They intended to obtain control of the Hudson River 
and thus to separate New England from the rest of the 
country. 

Washington so managed as to prevent the British from 
carrying out these plans. His army, however, was now quite 




THE ELM AT CAMBRIDGE, WHERE WASHINGTON 
TOOK COMMAND OF THE PATRIOT ARMY. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. I35 

small, numbering only six or eight, thousand men, and the 
outlook was very discouraging. 

In New Jersey. Washington was obliged to retreat across 
New Jersey into Pennsylvania. Then by a skillful movement 
he recrossed the Delaware River and gained the great victories 
of Trenton and Princeton, finally driving General Howe back to 
the vicinity of New York. Howe left New York (in 1777) and 
transported his army south to the Chesapeake Bay. Landing 
there, he started on the march toward Philadelphia, defeated 
the Americans, pushed on, and entered Philadelphia unmo- 
lested. Washington with his army took up a favorable position 
on the Schuylkill River, 

While all these movements were going on through New 
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, let us see what hap- 
pened farther east. In New Jersey our General Charles Lee 
had been captured by the British. The British General Pres- 
cott was in command of the forces at Newport, and Colonel 
William Barton, of the Rhode Island militia, laid a bold plan 
for his capture. 

The Capture of General Prescott. With a picked company of 
forty brave men, Colonel Barton one dark night rowed across 
Narragansett Bay, almost directly under the guns of the 
British vessels, and tied his boats to the bushes upon the 
shore. He and his men silently crossed the fields and sur- 
roimded the house where Prescott was sleeping. They dis- 
armed the sentinels, burst open the doors, and took the British 
general and one of his aides out of their beds, grasping their 
clothing and carrying it with them without waiting for the 
prisoners to dress. They hurried them down to the water's 
edge, into the boats, and succeeded in rowing past the British 
guard-ship before the alarm had been given. 

During their hurried march across the fields with the 



136 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. . 

prisoners, not a word had been spoken, but when they were 
once seated in the boat General Prescott quietly remarked to 
Colonel Barton : 

" You have made a bold push to-night, colonel." 

" We have done what we could, general," was the reply. 

Prescott was exchanged for General Lee, and Colonel Bar- 
ton, for his bold and successful enterprise, received a sword 
from the Continental Congress. 

Burgoyne's Campaign. The first campaign of the British 
had been to cut the country in two by holding New York and 
the Hudson River, They now made their second great plan, 
which was to send an army by way of Canada and Lake 
Champlain down the Hudson and so accomplish what they had 
failed to do before. This plan led to Burgoyne's campaign 
(in 1777), during which occurred several battles. The most 
important of these was the battle of Bemis Heights, which 
resulted in the surrender of Burgoyne and his army. 

The Stars and Stripes. Meantime Congress had adopted the 
" Stars and Stripes " as a national banner. This flag had 
thirteen stripes, seven red and six white, and thirteen stars in a 
field of blue at the upper comer next to the staff. The first 
flag — made by Mrs. Betsy Ross, of Philadelphia, who lived 
near the foot of Arch Street in a house which is still standing 
— was patterned from a pencilled sketch drawn by General 
Washington himself. The new flag was used when Burgoyne's 
army was marched away as prisoners of war. 

Treaty with France. Soon after this, Franklin succeeded 
in making a treaty with France, by which the independence of 
the United States was acknowledged. This was the first 
acknowledgment of our independence by any European 
power, and the first treaty of commerce and friendship. 

Valley Forge. The winter of 1777-78 was a period of great 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



137 



depression to the American cause, and particnlariy in the 
American army. This army was encamped at Valley Forge, 
now a picturesque little village on the right bank of the Schuyl- 
kill. It was then a bleak and desolate place, where the 
patriots protected themselves behind breastworks which they 
had thrown up, and lived in poor huts made of fence-rails and 
earth. One small room on the ground floor of a stone house, 




Washington's first sight of the stars and stripes. 

owned and occupied by a plain farmer, a Quaker named Isaac 
Potts, served both for headquarters and lodgings for General 
Washington, the commander-in-chief. 

The soldiers suffered much; clothing was scarce and of 
poor quality. Their provisions were scant, and some of them 
were without shoes, so that frequently the soldiers could be 
tracked by the blood from their naked feet, which crimsoned 
the white snow. There were three thousand men iinfit for 



138 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

duty, as Washington said, " because they are barefoot and 
otherwise naked." And he added that " for seven days past 
they had Httle else than famine in the camp." 

Washington at Prayer. Then again, Washington was abused 
and slandered in a way unwarranted and wicked. It is related 
that one day Friend Potts, the Quaker, when on his way up the 
creek, heard the voice of prayer. Following the direction of 
the sound, he soon discovered Washington upon his knees 
within the great forest of tall trees, at a place retired and hidden 
from view. His cheeks were wet with tears as he poured out 
his soul to God. The good farmer quietly withdrew without 
being discovered, and when he arrived at his house he said to 
his wife, with much emotion : 

" Hannah, Hannah, George Washington will succeed! I 
tell thee George Washington will succeed! The Americans 
will secure their independence ! ' ' 

" What makes thee think so, Isaac? " inquired his wife. 

" I have heard him pray in the forest to-day, Hannah, and 
the Lord will surely hear his prayer. He will, Hannah; thee 
may rest assured he will." 

Battle of Monmouth. General Clinton, who had succeeded 
General Howe, evacuated Philadelphia, and moved across 
New Jersey. 

Then occurred the battle at Monmouth Courthouse, where 
Washington himself saved the day and gained a notable vic- 
tory. The British army now retreated to New York, and 
Washington took up his position at White Plains. This was 
the last important conflict fought in the Northern States. 

A Gloomy Period. The next year was another gloomy 
period, but through the whole war, whether in victory or 
defeat, even in the midst of the greatest perplexities and 
difficulties, Washington was never wholly discouraged. Good 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



139 



^^. y- 



M 



judgment, self-control, and confidence that the right would 
finally win were marked features of his character, and eventu- 
ally brought to him the greatest and most permanent success. 
A further account of the progress of the war will be found 
in the next chapter. We must not, however, part with 
Washington just here. 
We shall see, hereafter, 
that the war was con- 
tinued vigorously and 
under serious discourage- 
ments until finally the 
British army under Lord 
Comwallis surrendered at 
Yorktown to the com- 
bined land and sea forces 
of the United States and 
France. The war was 
soon ended, and Great 
Britain acknowledged 
our independence. 

Elected President. Gen- 
eral Washington then re- 
tired to private life ; but a 
new constitution for the 
United States was adopt- 
ed in 1787, and under it 
W^ashington was unanimously elected President. He held 
that high office eight years, from 1789 to 1797, and refused a 
third election. He died December 14, 1799. 

His death caused sincere mourning, not only all over the 
United States, but in every country of the civilized world. 
He had successfully conducted a war against Great Britain, 







;/ ^ ih I ^'^ - 



f /• 



4 \ 



///XV 



WASHINGTON TURNING THE BATTLE AT 
MONMOUTH. 



I40 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 





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WASHINGTON AT TRENTON. 
( From the painting by John Faed. ) 

the foremost power of the world. He presided over the con- 
vention w^hich framed our national Constitution, and he was 
chief magistrate of the young republic for eight years. 

" Like Joshua of Old." An anecdote is told to the effect 
that, after the treaty of peace with Great Britain had been 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 141 

concluded, a grand dinner was given in Pans in honor of the 
success of the commissioners in arranging terms of peace. 
At this dinner the EngHsh ambassador offered a toast: 
"King George III: Hke the glorious sun at midday, he 
illumines the world." Then the French minister offered as 
his toast : ' ' Louis XVI : like the full moon riding in splendor, 
he dissipates the shades of night." It was now Franklin's 
turn, and all eyes were fixed upon him. The philosopher 
slowly arose and called on the company to join him in a 
toast as follows: " George Washington: like Joshua of old, he 
commanded the sun and the moon to stand still, and they 
obeyed him." 

A Majestic Figure. Washington displayed the highest 
qualities as a leader of men, as a military chieftain, and as a 
statesman. He shrank from no duty, his patience and per- 
severance overcame every obstacle, his moderation disarmed 
all opposition; his courage, physical, mental, and moral, was 
of that kind which knew no fear whatever. In the case of 
obstacles which would discourage other men, he knew how to 
conquer by waiting imtil victory should come. 

He stood high among men, not only in the eyes of his country- 
men, but also in the opinion of the world. As his fame was 
bounded by no country, so it will be limited to no age. 

Give an account of Washington as a boy ; as a young man. 
Describe the campaign about Boston; around New York City; in 
Mew Jersey; near Philadelphia. 

Tell the story of the capture of Prescott. 

Describe Burgoyne's campaign; also the last campaign in the North. 

Why was the surveying of Lord Fairfax's lands a " severe task "? 

.Why was it " full of danger "? Who were the " Continental troops "? 

Why did their entrance into Boston " relieve " its citizens? How has 

the United States flag been changed since it was first made? Why 

v/as Friend Potts so certain of Washington's final success? 




[general GREENE 



CHAPTER XIX 

Nathanael Greene 
1742-1786 

Greene's Thirst for Knowledge. General Greene was a 
Rhode Islander. His father was a Quaker preacher. He had 
a strong and vigorous constitution, and in his boyhood was 
foremost in every rural sport and game. He had a marked 
passion for books, but his only schooling was at his father's 
house under the direction of a private tutor for the half-dozen 
boys in the family. It is said that " one of the happiest days 
of his life was that which first saw him the owner of a Euclid." 

On one occasion when he visited Providence and had fin- 
ished the business for which he had come, he hastened to a 
bookstore, stepped up to the coimter, and said: " I want to 
buy a book." 

"What book?" asked the bookseller. To this young 
Greene was unable to reply, and he stood silent and blushing, 
not knowing what to say. Dr. Stiles, a clergyman from New- 
port, afterward the president of Yale College, was present and 
saw the boy's perplexity. 

" So, my boy," said he, " you want to buy a book and don't 
know what book you want?" " I guess so," said Greene. 
'* Well," said the clergyman, " is it a story book or a school 

S4S 



NATHANAEL GREENE. 



M3 



book that you want? " "I want a book," said Greene, " that 
will make me know more." " Well," said the clergyman, 
" there are many such books, for I suppose there are a good 
many things which you do not know yet." " I do not know 
much of anything," said the boy, " but I want to know more." 

So the minister gave him good advice as to what were the 
best books to read and what to study, and became one of his 
lifelong friends. 

A Quaker Soldier. Greene helped to organize a miUtary 
company called the Kentish 
Guards, and, arms being scarce, 
he went to Boston to purchase a 
musket (1774). While in Boston 
he witnessed the drilling of the 
British troops, and was greatly 
impressed with the imposing ap- 
pearance of the regulars at their 
morning and evening parades. 
Little did the British officers, in 
the pride of their gallant array, 
dream who was looking upon 
them from under the broad- 
brimmed hat of the Quaker, or 
how fatally for them the lessons 
would be applied. Hiding his 
musket under the straw in the 
wagon, he started for Rhode Island. He took with him a 
British deserter whom he had engaged as drill-master for the 
Kentish Guards. 

Rhode Island voted to raise an army of sixteen hundred 
men, and appointed Greene to command them, with the rank 
of major-general. At the age of thirty-three, this young mai» 




I WANT A BOOK THAT WILL MAKE 
ME KNOW MORE." 



144 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

led his regiment to join the Continental army at Cambridge. 
He was appointed a brigadier-general in the Continental 
service, and entered upon those military duties which were to 
engage his whole attention till the close of the war. 

Proposes Independence. He was one of the earliest to rec- 
ommend a declaration of independence. More than a year 
before the Declaration was passed, he wrote to a member of 
Congress as follows: 

" Permit me to recommend, from the sincerity of a heart 
at all times ready to bleed for my country's cause, a declara- 
tion of independence; and call upon the world and the great 
God who governs it, to witness the necessity, propriety, and 
rectitude thereof." 

General Greene rapidly won the confidence and esteem of 
Washington, and through the whole war was regarded as the 
second general in the army, next in command to Washington. 
He marched his brigade from Boston to New York, and took a 
prominent part in the skirmishes and battles around that city. 

At Valley Forge. He was with AVashington through the long 
winter at Valley Forge. From there he wrote to a friend: 
" I have no hopes of coming home this winter; the general will 
not grant me permission. Mrs. Greene is coming to camp ; we 
are all going into log huts — a sweet life after a most fatiguing 
campaign." After this, we find him in New Jersey at the 
battle of Monmouth, where his services were of the highest 
order. 

The British General Clinton, determined to transfer the 
war to the South, sent a force against Savannah, and took the 
city. The British, emboldened by their success, captured 
Charleston after a long siege, and General Lincoln was obliged 
to surrender his army. Then General Gates was placed in 
command in the South, and lost the battle of Camden. This 



NATHANAEL GREENE, 



M5 



battle clearly showed that Gates was not the man for the 
place. 

King's Mountain. But we must not forget that notable 
battle of King's Mountain. Colonel Tarleton, unlike most 
officers cf the British army, was notorious for his extreme 
barbarity and inhuman butchery of prisoners. Made almost 
desperate by Tarleton 's cruelty, an impromptu band of 
volunteers, under the command of Colonels Shelby and Sevier, 




THE FIGHTING AT KING S MOUNTAIN, 



marched against the British under Major Ferguson at King's 
Mountain, and, after the most severe fighting, gained a com- 
plete victory. 

The Battle of Cowperis. Finally, General Greene was ap- 
pointed to succeed Gates in command of the Southern army. 
Washington had intended that Greene should have the 
command before, but Congress had given the position to 
Gates. Greene's campaign was carried on under many disad- 
vantages, but was managed with great skill. The Americans 



146 P'lRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

were entirely victorious at the battle of Cowpens . They lost but 
twelve men killed and sixty wounded, while the British lost one 
hundred and twenty -nine killed and wounded and six hundred 
prisoners. The Americans captured one hundred horses, with 
many wagonloads of stores. 

Tarleton barely escaped with his life. He was wounded by a 
blow from the sword of Colonel William A. Washington. Some 
time afterward, in a company of Southern ladies, Colonel 
Tarleton said: " I have been told that Colonel Washington is 
very illiterate and can scarcely write his name." " But, 
colonel," replied one of the ladies, " he can at least make his 
mark!" Tarleton said: "I would very much like to see 
Colonel Washington." The lady instantly replied: "You 
might have had that opportunity and pleasure, colonel, if you 
had looked behind you at the battle of Cowpens." 

The South Regained. Greene now increased his army by 
new recruits. Then came the battles of Guilford Courthouse 
and Hobkirk Hill. Comwallis was in command of the British 
army in the South, and he marched northward into Virginia, 
hoping to draw Greene after him; but Greene defeated his 
plans by moving south to win back the Southern States. 
Sumter and Marion captured Orangeburg, Fort Mott, Granby, 
Fort Comwallis, Georgetown, and Augusta. In September, 
1 781, Greene fought the last battle of the war in the far South 
at Eutaw Springs. He had reconquered the entire South. 

Yorktown. Now the armies are drawn together in Virginia. 
Comwallis is there and Washington sends Lafayette thither. 
The French fleet under Count de Grasse sails up the Chesa- 
peake Bay and the York River. About the first of September, 
Count de Saint Simon joins Lafayette with over three thousand 
troops. Washington rapidly moves his main army through 
New Jersey and on to Virginia. Comwallis has fortified York- 



NATHANAEL GREENE. 



147 



town. The combined American forces surround the town and 
his retreat by water is blocked by De Grasse. A hundred 
cannon are turned upon the British forts and dismount every 
one of their guns. The 
British general cannot 
break through the lines, 
he cannot retreat, he 
cannot stay where he is. 
So Comwallis surren- 
dered to Washington, on 
the 19th of October, 
1 781, and the British 
fleet to De Grasse. This 
practically ended the 
war, although the final 
treaty of peace was not 
made till about two years 
afterward (1783). The 
news of the surrender of 
Comwallis was received with great joy by the people all over 
the country. December 13 was observed as a day of national 
thanksgiving. 

Give an account of Greene's boyhood; of his trip to Boston; of his 
joining the army; of his life at Valley Forge. 

Describe the war in the South; the battle of King's Mountain. 

Tell the story of Greene's Southern campaign; of the siege of York- 
town; of the surrender and the treaty of peace. 

What is a " Euclid "? How did Greene's trip to Boston aid him? 
What were the " regulars "? Was life at Valley Forge a " sweet life "? 
How long did the Revolutionary War last? What nations made the 
treaty of peace? 




WASHINGTON 




BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. H 



CHAPTER XX 

Benjamin Franklin 

1706-1790 



The Changes of a Century. Benjamin Franklin was one of the 
most famous men that America has ever produced. His Hfe 
covers the greater part of the eighteenth century. He was 
bom in Boston, at that time the largest town in all the English 
colonies, although its inhabitants numbered less than ten 
thousand people. 

At the time of his birth there were ten colonies along the 
coast. Baltimore had not been settled, nor New Orleans. 
There were no railroads, and not even a stage-coach in the 
country. There were only three colleges in the land and but 
one newspaper. 

How different was America when Franklin died, an old 
man, eighty-four years of age! The Revolutionary War had 
been fought, the Constitution of the United States had been 
adopted, and Washington had become President. At the 
birth of Franklin the population of this cotuitry was probably 
less than half a million. At his death it was nearly ten times 
as great. 

A Self-Educated Man. Franklin was a self-educated man. 
He went to school only two years, leaving it when he was ten 



xaH 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 1 49 

years of age. At that time he went into his father's candle- 
shop to help make candles for the people of Boston. He did 
not like this occupation and soon grew tired of it. Then his 
father apprenticed him to his brother James, who published a 
newspaper. Franklin liked this business better. 

Franklin and the Apple Woman. While Franklin was at 
work for his brother, one of his duties was to deliver the papers 
to subscribers. One day, in hurrying around a comer of the 
street, he suddenly ran against the table where an old woman 
was selling apples, and the apples rolled off upon the sidewalk. 
Benjamin picked them up and made his apologies to the old 
lady. She was pleased with his intelligence and began to talk 
to him. 

"Do you ever dream, my little man?" she said. "Oh, 
yes," he replied; " I dream sometimes when Fve eaten too 
much supper." " Well, do you believe in dreams?" " Oh, 
yes," said Franklin; " I believe in dreams — that is, I believe 
that I dream and other people dream." " Yes," said she; 
"but do your dreams come true?" "Well, no; I don't 
think they do usually. Do yours? " " Oh, yes," said the old 
lady; " my dreams always come true, and I dreamed about 
you last night." " Did you? Well, what did you dream?" 
" I dreamed that you bought this book and that you became 
a very wise man." " Well, well! Indeed, what is the book? " 
and he picked it up and looked at it. " How much do you 
ask for it? " " Only sixpence, sir." " Well, I think it would 
be too bad for your dream not to prove true just for sixpence, 
so I will buy it." 

He went away with this book, which was a copy of the 
third volume of Addison's " Spectator." With the book he 
was delighted. He was charmed not only with the thought, 
but with the elegant way in which it was expressed. He 



15° 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



would read one of the short papers, close the book, and re 
write it, partly in his own language. Then, comparing his 
work with Addison's, he was quite inclined to say that Addi- 
son's was the better. In this way he found that a good deal 
depends upon how thoughts are expressed, and he began to 
study style. 

Miss Read Laughs at Him. If you will read his auto- 
biography, you will find 
that he tells in a charming 
way how he left Boston 
when he was seventeen 
years old, went to New 
York, and from there to 
Philadelphia. You will be 
greatly interested in his 
story of how he walked up 
Market Street, Sunday 
morning, with a loaf of 
bread under each arm and 
munching a third, and how 
Miss Read stood at the 
door of her father's house 
laughing at him . Then 
you will find that after- 
ward this same Miss Read 
became Mrs. Benjamin Franklin. 

An American Printer in London. Franklin's first visit to 
England was when he was eighteen years of age. On reaching 
London he sought for work in a printing-office. The foreman 
said: "Where are you from?" Franklin replied: "From 
America." " From America!" said the printer. " And can 
you set type? " " Try me and see," said Franklin 




YOUNG FRANKLIN LAUGHED AT BY HIS 
FUTURE WIFE. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 15I 

He took the composing-stick in his hand, examined the 
case of types, noticing that the letters were arranged in the 
boxes in the same way that they were in America, and within 
four minutes he set with perfect accuracy the following 
sentences : 

" Nathaniel said unto him. Can there any good thing come 
out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see." 

When he was twenty years of age he returned to Philadelphia 
and really began his life work in that city. Three years later 
he started his first newspaper. At the same time he kept a 
stationery shop, and soon began to publish " Poor Richard's 
Almanac." 

" Poor Richard's Almanac." This almanac brought him 
large profits, and he continued it for many years. " Poor 
Richard's Almanac " contained a great many homely maxims, 
which made it very popular and which had a good influence 
upon the habits and morals of the people. Here are a few of 
these maxims: 

" Then plough dee^ while sluggards sleep, 
And you shall have corn to sell and to keep." 

" Vessels large may venture more, 
But little boats should keep near shore." 

" Handle your tools without mittens: remember that the cat in 
gloves catches no mice." 

" The sleeping fox catches no poultry." 

" Diligence is the mother of good luck, and God gives all things to 
industry." 

" Silks and satins, 
Scarlet and velvets, 
Put out the kitchen fire." 



152 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

" Many estates are spent in getting, 
Since women for tea forsook spinning and knitting, 
And men for punch forsook hewing and splitting." 

" He that by the plough would thrive, 
Himself must either hold or drive." 

Franklin rose rapidly in the esteem of the people. He 
was chosen to fill many high offices; he was postmaster of 
Philadelphia and a member of the city government; he was 
clerk as well as representative to the colonial legislature; and 
he was postmaster-general for the English colonies. 

Franklin's Inventions. By no means the least of his great 
services to mankind was that which he rendered by his mar- 
velous inventions. By sending up a kite during a thunder 
storm he demonstrated that lightning is only a form of elec- 
tricity, and thus he paved the way for the wonderful develop- 
ment in electrical science v/hich came in a later day. Among 
his other inventions was the Franklin stove, which was a great 
improvement on the old-fashioned open fireplace and which 
is still widely used. 

In the cause of education he was also active. He fotmded 
the University of Pennsylvania, and he started the first 
public library in Philadelphia. 

His Patriotic Zeal. When Franklin had become greatly in- 
terested in his studies, they were interrupted by the struggle 
which led up to the Revolutionary War. Franklin was ap- 
pointed by the people of Pennsylvania as their representative 
to the British government. From this time onward his mind 
and time were mostly occupied in public affairs. 

Franklin tried his best to prevent the passage of the Stamp 
Act, but it was passed and the inevitable results followed. 
From the Stamp Act events moved rapidly on to the Revolu- 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



5 53 



tion, which ended in the independence of the colonies. Frank- 
lin was one of the last to believe that independence was neces- 
sary. Still, when the time came, he heartily yielded and 
signed the Declaration of Independence. 

Franklin in France. Franklin was sent to France to repre- 
sent the government of the new republic at the court of Paris. 
The war went on; the contest was uneven between this little 




FRANKLIN AND THE QUEEN OF FRANCE. 

republic with its small army and the great power of England 
with its experienced generals. But Washington, through the 
help of France, which Franklin by his genius and popularity 
had secured, overcame the difficulties, and the army was finally 
victorious. Cornwallis, as we have seen, surrendered at York- 
town and the war was at an end. 

The Treaty of Peace. Next came the treaty of peace with 
Great Britain, In that treaty the most important question 



154 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



was what should be our western boundaries. Franklin and 
John Jay of New York finally succeeded in securing for 
this country the territory north of the Ohio, thus carrying 
the western bounds of the new republic to the Mississippi River. 

Franklin was now 
an old man. Soon 
after the making of 
this treaty he returned 
to his native land 
never again to leave it. 
Yet he had strength 
enough to engage in 
one more great work 
for his country. When 
he was bowed down 
by the burden of more 
than fourscore years, 
he was appointed by 
the State of Pennsyl- 
vania as a member of 
that great convention 
which was to frame 
the Constitution of 
the United States of 
America. 

The Constitutional 
Convention. For four months during the heat of summer 
Franklin daily met with his colleagues in the old state house 
in Philadelphia, in " Independence Hall," giving to his 
coimtry those wise counsels which came from his long life and 
varied experiences, his great mental ability and his remark- 
« able genius. 




INDEPENDENCE HALL, IN PHILADELPHIA. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 155 

This convention had a very difficult task to perform. The 
delegates represented different States, under different condi- 
tions, and it was almost impossible to agree upon anew Consti- 
tution that would' be approved by the States they represented. 

God Governs the Affairs of Men. More than a month 
passed by before any successful agreement had taken place 
among the members. One morning, when the convention 
had assembled, Franklin arose and said: 

" How has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto 
once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights 
to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of 
the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, 
we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. 
Our prayers, sir, were heard; and they were graciously an- 
swered. Have we now forgotten that powerful Friend, or do 
we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, 
sir, a long time; and the longer I live the more convincing 
proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. 
And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, 
is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? " 

The convention finally succeeded in framing a Constitu- 
tion that all could agree to. It was not perfect, but it was 
clearly the best that could be obtained. Franklin said of it, 
in a speech to the convention just before the vote was taken : 
" Thus I consent, sir, to this Constitution, because I expect no 
better and because I am not sure that this is not the best." 

" The Rising Sun." While the different members of the 
convention were signing the Constitution, Franklin, stood 
rubbing his eye-glasses and looking toward the president's 
chair, on the back of which was represented the sun upon the 
horizon, shooting its slanting rays upward, Franklin turned 
to the member standing near him, and remarked that painters 



156 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




P'UANKLIN AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ALLUDING TO THE " RISING 
SUN " CARVED ON THE PRESIDENT'S CHAIR, 

have found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising from a 
setting sun. " I have," said he, " often and often, in the 
course of the session and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears 
as to its issue, looked at that picture behind the president with- 
out being able to tell whether the sun was rising or setting, 
but now at length I have the happiness to know that the sun of 
America 'iS rising." 

Franklin continued to exert himself for the public good 
until the very end of his life. Just before his death he signed 
a memorial to Congress, praying for the abolition of slavery in 
the United States, and the very day before he died, in the 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



157 



midst of extreme suffering, he finished a paper upon this 
subject. His age was a Httle above eighty-four years. 

Without question, Benjamin Franklin was one of the 
greatest men of his age. When the news of his death reached 
France, the National Assembly put on mourning. Turgot, an 
eminent French statesman, said of Franklin: " He snatched 
the thunderbolt from the sky and the 
scepter from tyrants." 

Franklin and his wife were buried 
in the graveyard of Christ Church, 
Philadelphia, at the comer of Fifth and 
Arch streets. Over the two graves is 
a large stone slab, bearing the inscrip- 
tion here given. 

When Franklin was a young man 



BENJAMIN 



FRANKLIN 



DEBORAH 

1790 



and a printer in Philadelphia, he wrote his own epitaph ; 



THE BODY 

OF 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 
PRINTER, 

(Like the cover of an old book, 

Its contents torn out, 

And stript of its lettering and gilding,) 



LIES HERE, FOOD FOR WORMS. 
BUT THE WORK SHALL NOT BE LOST, 

FOR IT WILL (as he believed) appear once more 

IN A NEW AND MORE ELEGANT EDITION 

REVISED AND CORRECTED 

BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



158 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



State some of the changes in American life that Franklin saw. 

Tell the story of the book and its value to Franklin. 

Give an account of " Poor Richard's Almanac." 

State some of the ways in which Franklin served his countrymen. 

Tell what Franklin had to do with the Stamp Act; with the Declara- 
tion of Independence ; with the Treaty of Peace ; with the Constitution 
of the United States. 

Why do you suppose young Benjamin disliked the candle business? 
What different things are mentioned that helped Franklin to become 
a writer? Do you understand why Franklin set up those particular 
sentences for the London printer? What do we mean by " homely " 
maxims? Why should we " handle our tools without mittens "? How 
do " silks and satins put out the kitchen fire " ? Who passed the Stamp 
Act and how did Franklin try to prevent its passage? What did 
Franklin do in France for the United States? Why was Franklin one 
of the greatest men of his age? 



^^^^^^^B >~^ y , R G 1 N 1 A 

^^^^^K It en HI TORY X" ,7.> 


/ 


^^^^^^^^^^K \ CAROLINA /-^ 






United States in jtsoI 
1 il 




T.rrit.r,.. I 1 -J 1 



THE YOUNG NATION AT ITS START. 




on the ro&d to Vincennes 

CHAPTER XXI 



George Rogers Clark 



1752-1818 

Clark Arrives in Kentucky. A few days after General Wash- 
ington and his little patriotic army entered Boston, in the 
spring of 1776, a young boy was hurriedly walking along a trail 
in the woods of what is now Kentucky. As he passed a spring, 
bubbling up by the side of the path, he saw a wild duck drink- 
ing the cool waters. Like every pioneer boy, he was an expert 
shot, and in a few moments the duck was roasting over a fire 
which the boy had kindled. 

Suddenly the youth was startled by the sound of a step; 
but it was a firm tread, not the stealthy glide of an Indian 
moccasin. Looking up, he saw a young, soldierly appearing 
man approaching; a man '* square-built, thick-set, with high, 
broad forehead and sandy hair." The newcomer briskly 
called out: 



l6o FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

" How do you do, my little fellow? What is your name? 
Ar'n't you afraid of being in the woods by yourself?" 

The voice of the stranger was pleasing and cordial. The 
boy felt no fear of him, and invited him to taste the duck. 
The man was evidently hungry, for he continued to taste 
until the duck was entirely eaten. Then the boy asked his 
new friend what his name was. 

" My name is Clark," was the answer, " and I have come 
out to see what you brave fellows are doing, and to help you 
if you need any help." 

His Youth. George Rogers Clark, who thus suddenly 
arrived at Harrodsburg, had come, on foot and alone, from 
Virginia. He was twenty-three years of age and well educated 
for those days. Bom in western Virginia, he grew up a great 
hunter; he was from boyhood familiar with frontier life, 
always exposed to Indian attack. He had learned surveying 
in his youth, and armed with ax and rifle, chain and compass, 
he had become so used to tramping through the wilderness and 
the forests that he dared to travel to Kentucky without com- 
panions. 

The Fort. Such a life as it was in Kentucky in those days ! 
Ordinarily the families moved into the new country in groups. 
First they built a stockade fort for common use. This was a 
square piece of land, surrounded by a palisade or wall of up- 
right logs. At the comers were strong blockhouses, also 
made of logs, and fitted with portholes, through which guns 
could be fired. Within this palisade were cabins, so built 
that the back of the cabin was a portion of the palisade itself. 
Entrance to this fort was by a great gate, which was made as 
firm as possible and provided with strong bars to keep it shut 
against the most violent attack. 

The families also had their own cabins upon the farms or 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. l6l 

' clearings " at greater or less distances from the fort. They 
came to the fort only when there was war with the Indians 
or when they feared an attack. Those days of anxiety and 
constant fear can hardly be understood by us. 

The Constant Fear. At any time the word of warning might 
come. Often it came at night. Then the family, quietly 
sleeping in their little cabins, far removed perhaps from any 
neighbor, would hear a tapping at the door. Instantly all the 
older people would be awake, for they were always watchful 
and could easily be aroused by the slightest sound. In a 
moment every one would be in motion. The father would 
seize his gun and ammunition. The mother would hurriedly 
dress the children. The older ones would carry the younger, 
perhaps, or at least some household article, and, with as little 
delay as possible, the house would be deserted. 

A Midnight Flight. A light they did not dare to have. Not 
a sound was it safe to make. The greatest care was used not to 
waken the baby, who would be sure to cry. To the other chil- 
dren, the word Indian was enough to prevent a whisper. Thus 
the family hurried along the trail to the fort. The men would 
then spend the rest of the night in making preparations for 
the expected attack. If it did not come, all waited through the 
day in readiness for the dreaded war whoop the following night. 

Perhaps the Indians did not come ; then the families would 
return home in a day or two, only to be ready again for the 
next alarm. Perhaps they would go to the fort too soon; then 
they would have to wait there many days. Perhaps the mes- 
sage would not arrive in time ; then the result was too terrible 
almost for thought. 

Life in Kentucky. Such was life in Kentucky and Tennessee 
at the beginning of the Revolution. Such was life in other new 
territories and States at a later day. Nevertheless, the hardy 



l62 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

pioneers continued to press forward. Taking their lives in 
their hands, they continually moved westward, leaving the 
more settled regions behind them. Many men seemed to be 
unable to live near their fellow-men; the uninhabited wilder- 
ness alone pleased them. Like the father of Kit Carson, they 
would move farther into the forests because neighbors had 
come within three miles of them. Others would continue in 
their new home and see the little fort become a village, the 
village become a town, and the town become a city. They 
would let other hardy adventurers carry the advancing settle- 
ments farther west. 

Valley of the Ohio. When Wolfe won the battle of Quebec 
and laid down his life, the English settlers all lived east of the 
Alleghany Mountains. By the treaty with France (1763), 
however, all the region between the mountains and the Missis- 
sippi River had been ceded to Great Britain. Before the 
Revolution began, a few pioneers had crossed the mountains 
and had settled in what is now Kentucky and Tennessee. 
North of the Ohio no English settlements had been begun, 
though some traders were traveling through this great North- 
west, buying furs of the Indians. 

The French had built a few forts to hold this land, in the 
years between La Salle's discoveries and Wolfe's victories. 
These the British government now held. The most important 
were Detroit, now in Michigan ; Kaskaskia, near the Mississippi 
River, on the western side of the Illinois; and Vincennes, on 
the Wabash, in southwestern Indiana. It was very important 
for the future development of the United States that we should 
hold all this western territory, rather than that any foreign 
power should possess it. 

Neither Congress nor Washington's army paid any attention 
to this territory during the entire war. Congress did not 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 163 

appreciate its value, and the army had all that it could attend 
to near the coast. One man, and one only, seemed to realize 
how important the region would be to the United States, and 
also that it could be obtained in spite of the neglect of Congress. 

Clark's Plan. A year after Clark arrived in Kentucky he 
was carefully making plans to capture the whole of the great 
Northwest. Accordingly, he sent scouts into the Illinois 
region, who brought back to him reports concerning the fort at 
Kaskaskia and its condition. Then he hastened to Virginia to 
seek assistance from the State government. He went to 
Virginia, because that colony had always claimed this western 
territory as a part of the grant to Virginia. 

Leaving Harrodsburg in October (1777), Clark started on 
foot, and in a month, after traveling six hundred and twenty 
miles, he reached his father's house. Resting here but a day, 
he hastened on to Williamsburg, where he was delighted to 
hear the news of the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga. 

Clark at once laid his plans before Patrick Henry, the 
governor of the State. Henry was just the man to approve 
the daring scheme, and entered into it at once. He appointed 
Clark a colonel in the militia, gave him permission to raise 
seven companies, loaned him twelve hundred pounds, and 
issued an order for supplies to be obtained at Pittsburg. 

The Expedition. Clark raised a force of a hundred and fifty 
men, and with his supplies left Pittsburg the next May. With 
him went a number of families for whom the little band acted as 
an escort. The party floated down the Ohio River, a distance 
of hundreds of miles, nearly all the way through an unbroken 
forest and past wild lands with no white inhabitants. 

They reached the falls of the Ohio, where Clark left the 
settlers, thereby laying the foundations of the present city of 
Louisville. 



l64 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

The little army took the boats again and floated farther 
down the Ohio. Landing opposite the mouth of the Ten- 
nessee River, they concealed their boats in a small creek. 
Wishing to surprise the fort, Clark rested but a single night, 
and then struck out rapidly across the hills toward Kaskaskia. 




CLARK WATCHING HIS ARMY FLOAT DOWN THE OHIO. 

He arrived near the fort on the evening of the Fourth of 
July (1778), and immediately made preparation for the attack. 
Dividing his force into two divisions, he spread one out around 
the town and led the other directly to the walls of the fort. 

Capture of Kaskaskia. The surprise was complete. Within, 
a dance was in progress, and even the sentinels had left their 
posts. Clark placed his men at the entrance ; then he quietly 
entered a rear gate and the dance-hall itself. There he stood, 
silently leaning against a doorpost, watching the dancers. 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 165 

Most of the Indians who usually idled around the fort 
were at the time on a hunting expedition, but one of them 
had not gone; he lay upon the floor near the entrance. No 
one else noticed the newcomer ; but the Indian gazed earnestly 
at him, and then sprang to his feet with a war whoop. 

The dance ceased; all was confusion. But Clark quietly 
told them to continue. He added, however: " You are now 
dancing under Virginia, and not under Great Britain." The 
men then burst in; the commandant, Rocheblave, was seized; 
and Kaskaskia changed hands without bloodshed. The people 
were mainly French who hated the English, and were not 
unwilling to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. 

The French priest at Kaskaskia went to Vincennes to per- 
suade the French people there to yield voluntarily to the 
United States. In this he was successful; the Stars and 
Stripes were hoisted, and the people met in the church and 
swore allegiance to the new Republic. Governor Hamilton, 
the English officer in command at Detroit, led out a large force 
and retook Vincennes without opposition. He had five hun- 
dred men with him, while Clark had but one hundred at this 
time at Kaskaskia. The latter did not dare make an attack, 
and winter found them both still waiting for the next move. 

The March to Vincennes. Little by little, however, Hamil- 
ton's force grew smaller, until at the end of January (1779) 
Clark learned that the British commander had but eighty 
men at the fort. He decided upon an immediate attack. 
Early in February Clark set out from Kaskaskia with one 
hundred and seventy men. The distance to Vincennes was 
over two hundred miles, across a country covered with water. 
The ice in the rivers had melted and freshets had overflowed 
the land. 

The men, with little food, suffering severely from hunger, 



1 06 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



were obliged to wade for miles through water breast deep, 
with floating ice all around them. That was a terrible march. 
The siifferings of the men cannot be told. After sixteen 
days of such traveling, the little army reached Vincennes, 
surprised the town, and laid siege to the fort. The next day 
Hamilton and the garrison surrendered. 

The Conquest of the Northwest Territory. Thus Colonel 
Clark, with a few men, by his own bravery, his strong personal 

character, and his great mili- 




clark's line of march. 



tary skill, in spite of untold 
obstacles and terrible suffer- 
ings, conquered the entire 
Northwest Territory. He 
obtained possession of all the 
important forts and settle- 
ments, and gave to the 
United States complete pos- 
session of the Ohio River and 
the eastern bank of the Missis- 
sippi as far south as the 
Florida boundary. When the treaty of peace was made with 
England (1783), the United States, after much discussion, 
finally secured this Western region, largely on the ground that 
Clark had conquered the territory and held military possession 
of it at the time the treaty was made. 

Clark captured the country for Virginia and imder the 
direction of the Virginia government. The assembly of 
that State thanked him and his officers and men '" for their 
extraordinary resolution and perseverance, and for the im- 
portant services which they had rendered their country." 
Afterward Virginia granted two hundred acres of land to each 
of the soldiers 



GEORGE ROGERS CLARK. 



167 



Give an account of how Clark entered Kentucky. 

Describe a frontier palisade. 

Tell the story of an Indian alarm. 

State the sitiiation in the Western region at the beginning of the 
Revolution. 

Tell the story of Clark's journey to Virginia; of his voyage down 
the Ohio; of his capture of Kaskaskia; of his march to Vincennes. 

In what was Clark like Washington? Why was a light not per- 
mitted nor sound allowed, when the settlers were hastening to the 
fort ? Do you know of any Western fort that is now a city ? Why was 
possession of the Western region " necessary to the success of the 
United States "? Has it been of any advantage other than a military 
one? Was an escort needed by families who were moving west down 
the Ohio River? Why were the French settlers at Kaskaskia and 
Vincennes ready to take the oath of allegiance to the United States? 




PIONEER FAMILIES PUSHING INTO THE NORTHWESX 



^^TH^T' 



■HAMILTON 




CHAPTER XXII 

Alexander H amilton 

1757-1804 

Patriots Meet in New York. Less than a month after Samuel 
Adams had locked the doors of the court room at Salem and 
had put the key in his pocket, a meeting of patriots was called 
in New York City (July, 1774). This meeting was held in the 
open air and was attended by crowds of citizens. The speak- 
ers were quiet and without enthusiasm; the speeches did not 
arouse the people ; the meeting was proving a failure. 

Near the platform a young student was standing. He 
had been in the colonies two years only, but he had become a 
most earnest patriot. He felt that the people would never be 
brought to oppose English oppression by any such half- 
hearted remarks. He thought that many things that ought 
to be said had not been said. 

Quickly he pushed his way through and climbed upon 
the platform. When there was a suitable pause, the youth 
stepped to the front without being announced or introduced. 

For a moment the boy stood hesitating, as the throng stared, 
surprised at his boldness. He was but seventeen years old, 
and looked younger. In another moment a laugh would have 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 169 

followed, or perhaps cries to come down and not interrupt his 
elders. But the boy's embarrassment was over and he began 
to speak. 

Hamilton's Speech. He was a bom orator, and in a few 
minutes his thoughts came faster than he could utter them. 
The crowd listened with close attention as he gave clear and 
sound reasons for resisting the king. A murmur ran through 
the audience: "Hear the collegian! Hear the collegian!" 
The meeting was no longer a failure ; the people of New York 
were fired with patriotic enthusiasm and were ready to join 
Virginia and Massachusetts under the leadership of Patrick 
Henry and Samuel Adams. 

Who was the seven teen -year-old boy? His name was 
Alexander Hamilton, and this was the first public step in a 
life full of service for his adopted country. During the next 
two years Hamilton was busy in the cause of the colonists. 
He wrote pamphlets replying to the leading Tories of New 
York. He took part in public meetings and spent much time 
in studying military affairs. When the British army left 
Boston and came to New York, Hamilton was appointed com- 
mander of a new artillery com.pany, though still less than 
twenty years of age. 

Controls a Mob. One incident that happened during the 
interval between Hamilton's first public speech and the arrival 
of the British army in New" York illustrates a remarkable 
trait of his character. He was but a boy, and filled with all a 
boy's rashness and daring. Yet he had the cool mind of a 
much older man, and more than once was able to prevent the 
mobs in New York from committing violence. The British 
ship-of-war Asia at one time opened fire upon the town. At 
once all was commotion and excitement. The " Liberty 
Boys " began to threaten injury to every Tory in the city. 



170 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Among the most prominent of these Tories was Dr. Cooper, 
the president of King's College. The mob rushed to his house. 
On the steps they found Hamilton ahead of them, determined 
to prevent or delay their entrance. He at once began to 
speak, urging them to show reason and not to commit any rash 
act. Just at this point President Cooper called out to the 
crowd from an upper window, advising them not to be guided 

by such a madman as Hamil- 
ton. Then he fled by a rear 
entrance. 

Hamilton had, perhaps, 
saved the old man's life, 
while the worthy president 
supposed that his young stu- 
dent was urging the people to 
attack him. It was a fine act 
in the boy thus to risk his 
life and his influence " in 
behalf of law, order, and 
mercy." 

Aide to Washington. Five 
years passed before the surren- 
der of Comwallis. Much of 
this timie young Hamilton 
was an aide on the staff of 
General Washington, and met many leaders of the day. 
His principal employment was to answer the many letters 
which the general received; but he was present at all the 
great battles, and always acted with courage and bravery. 
In the siege of Yorktown, Hamilton led a brilliant charge 
against the enemy, attacked them with great vigor, and 
carried everything before him. 




HAMILTON LEADING THE CHARGE 
AT YORKTOWN. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 171 

rhtj Federal Convention. Hamilton was much more than a 
mere orator or a gallant soldier. He was an earnest student 
of all matters connected with the government. Soon after the 
war was over he began to see that the States must be imited 
more closely. He was certain that, though they had kept 
together during the war because of their common danger, they 
would quarrel now that peace had come. So, together with 
George Washington, James Madison, and other statesmen, he 
wrote and worked for a convention to form a more perfect union. 

Four years after the peace of 1783, the Federal Convention 
met in Philadelphia. For four months the delegates from all 
the States except Rhode Island worked in secret, imtil they 
had prepared the Constitution of the United States. 

Before this could go into operation it must be accepted by at 
least nine of the States. As the proposed Constitution was 
very different from the form of government tmder which the 
country had been governed for several years, and since it took 
many powers from the several States and gave them to the 
central government, there were many people who did not like 
it and who tried to have it defeated. 

New York Adopts the Constitution. For many months the 
contest for and against the new Constitution continued in the 
different States. One by one they accepted it, until finally 
the necessary nine had agreed to it. New York still held back. 
It was very important that this State should vote in favor of 
the Constitution, for, if she refused, New England would be cut 
off from the other States. The New York convention met with 
forty-six members opposed to the Constitution and nineteen in 
its favor. Day after day discussion followed discussion, and 
Hamilton was on his feet continually, answering objections and 
giving arguments. Finally the convention voted, and three 
more votes were given for the Constitution than against it. 



172 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Hamilton had won, and New York had become the tenth 
State in the new Union. 

The First Presidential Election. Now the new government 
must be begun and presidential electors chosen in the different 
States. There was but one man thought of for President, — 
the general who had so skillfully carried the army through the 
Revolution and had then quietly retired to his home at Mount 
Vernon. He was truly " first in war, first in peace, and first 




Tfpj^m 



Washington's journey to his inauguration. 



Every vote was cast for 
John Adams, of Massachu- 



in the hearts of his coimtrymen.' 
George Washington for President, 
setts, was elected Vice-President. 

When Congress had counted the electoral votes, messengers 
were sent to notify Washington and Adams. The President- 
elect left Moimt Vernon and traveled in his carriage to New 
York City. Everywhere he was enthusiastically welcomed by 
the people, who rode by his carriage as he came into and left 
the towns; who gave him public dinners; who scattered 
flowers in his path; who built triumphal arches under which 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 



173 



he must go. From the New Jersey shore he was rowed to the 
city by thirteen oarsmen, in a handsomely decorated barge, 
and was saluted by the firing of thirteen guns. 

The First Inauguration. On the 30th of April, 1789, Wash- 
ington was inaugurated President at Federal Hall on Wall 
Street. He passed through the troops into the hall, where 
Congress awaited him. When the Vice-President announced 




FEDERAL HALL, NEW YORK, WHERE WASHINGTON WAS INAUGURATED 

PRESIDENT. 



that everything was ready for the oath of office to be taken, the 
President-elect went to the balcony of the building. This 
overlooked the street, which was densely packed with citizens 
who waited in respectful silence. Washington solemnly took 
the oath to " preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of 
the United States," and with closed eyes whispered : 

"So help me, God!" 

Then the air was rent by the joyous cry of the people: 



174 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

" God bless our Washington! Long live our beloved Wash- 
ington ! ' ' 

The minister from France afterward wrote: " Tears of joy 
were seen to flow in the hall of the Senate, at church, and 
even in the streets, and no sovereign ever reigned more com- 
pletely in the hearts of his subjects than Washington in the 
hearts of his fellow-citizens." 

The First Cabinet. After the inauguration the new President 
chose his Cabinet, — men who were to advise him and to help 
him carry on the government. The two leading officers 
were the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury. 
Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson to the first position ; 
of him we will read in another chapter. He chose Alexander 
Hamilton to have charge of the treasury. 

Here the great mental powers of the young man showed 
themselves. The government of the United States had been 
tmable to pay its debts for more than a dozen years. It had 
borrowed money and could not pay the interest ; it still owed 
the soldiers who had fought for it in the Revolution. Its 
credit was gone ; by this we mean that it had little or no money 
and no one would lend it any. 

Hamilton's Great Work. It was Hamilton's task to give the 
government a new credit; he must provide ways by which 
money could be obtained; he must make it certain to every- 
body that the United States could and would pay all its debts. 
All this Alexander Hamilton, as Secretary of the Treasury, did. 
He thus performed a service for his country which may be con- 
sidered as important as is the service of a great general in carry- 
ing on a war. 

Had the United States not been able to pay its debts, it 
would have failed just as surely as if it had not obtained its 
independence by the War of the Revolution. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 



175 



Hamilton remained in the Cabinet of the first President 
imtil this great work was done. Then he resigned, and prac- 
ticed law until he died at the early age of forty-seven. 

Meanwhile Washington was unanimously chosen President 
for a second time, but he declined a third term. When he left 
the presidential chair he retired from public life, and spent his 
last years at his home at Mount Vernon. Here he died, after 
having served his country faithfully all his life, and after having 
been honored by his country with every honor which it could 
give him. 

Describe the meeting in New York; the steps taken by Hamilton 
before the Revolution began; his work during the Revolution; his 
part in obtaining the adoption of the new Constitution; his service as 
Secretary of the Treasury. 

Tell the story of Washington's journey and inauguration. 

How did Hamilton prevent the meeting in New York from being a 
failure? What did he have that the other speakers lacked? How did 
Hamilton's position on the stafif of General Washington aid him in his 
later life? What caused the great change in the voting in the New 
York Convention? Why did Washington travel from Mount Vernon 
to New York in his own carriage? How else could he have traveled? 
Why were there thirteen oarsmen and thirteen guns? Is credit any 
less necessary to a nation than to a business man ? 




THE OLD CONTINENTAL MONEV 




CHAPTER XXIII 

Thomas Jefferson 

1743-1826 

Jefferson at Williamsburg. A few months after General 
Wolfe's victory at Quebec (1759), a seventeen-year-old boy, 
who was destined to play a prominent part in the history of the 
United States, left his home in Central Virginia and went down 
to Williamsburg, the capital of the colony. The youth be- 
longed to one of the best families of the coimtry, and had 
friends and relatives almost from one end of the colony to the 
other. 

Yet young Thomas Jefferson had never before seen a town, 
nor even a village of twenty houses. To him, Williamsburg, 
with its two hundred houses and its thousand inhabitants, 
seemed almost as large as London itself ; to him, the splendor 
and elegance of the first families of Virginia, as they lived 
their gay life when the colonial legislature was in session, were 
hardly less brilliant than the pomp and pageantry surroimding 
the king of England at the Court of St. James. 

This yoimg man had come to the capital to attend Wilham 
and Mary College, next to Harvard the oldest college in all the 
colonies. He was fond of study and spent more hours over 
his books than most of the students did; yet he never failed 

f,6 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



177 



to take needed exercise, being especially skilled in horseback 
riding. While at Williamsburg he became acquainted with 
nearly all of the leading men in Virginia, and thus obtained 
an education that does not come from books. 

Patrick Henry's Speech. Five years after Jefferson first 
entered WilHamsburg he was still at the capital, studying law. 
One of his earHest friends, Patrick Henry by name, a man a few 
years older than he, a new mem- 
ber of the House of Burgesses, 
was visiting yoimg Jefferson. 
During this visit the news of the 
passing of the Stamp Act 
reached the town, and this action 
of Parliament was thoroughly 
discussed in the student's room. 

One day Jefferson learned 
that Henry proposed to make 
a speech in the House, urging 
resistance to the Stamp Act. 
'Vl^hen the day came he stood in 
the rear of the hall, listening to 
the glowing words of Henry's 
famous speech, 

^ ,. . , T rr PATRICK HENRY IN HIS GREAT SPEECH 

Let US listen with Jefferson against the stamp act. 
for a moment. Let us imag- 
ine the feelings of the patriotic youth as he hears his friend, 
in the midst of his enthusiasm, say: " Caesar had his Brutus, 
Charles I his Cromwell, and George HI " — and here he 
paused. What would be the end of the sentence? Did 
Henry propose some harm to the king? 

Here and there in the hall was heard the cry, " Treason! 
1'reason ! ' ' and it would have been treason had Henry finished 




1 78 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

as they expected. But no! after the pause came the words, 
" George III may profit by their example." Henry was 
right. Had George IH been wiser, had he read history aright, 
and had he profited by former examples, he might have saved 
the colonies to England. He did not, and he lost them. 

But here was Thomas Jefferson, drinking in every word and 
profiting by it. From this hall he went to take his share in 
the coming conflict. A few years of quiet, in which the young 
man married and built his charming home at Monticello, and 
the struggle broke out. Jefferson prepared the instructions 
for Virginia's delegates to the First Continental Congress. 

In the Continental Congress. He was himself a member of 
the Second Congress. Here, in June (1776 ), a committee was 
chosen by ballot to draw up a Declaration of Independence. 
Thomas Jefferson headed the list, and with him were John 
Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, 
Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston of 
New York. When the committee met they urged Jefferson to 
prepare the draft; he consented, and, with a few changes of 
words, the immortal Declaration of Independence was adopted 
as Jefferson wrote it. For this he has rightly been called the 
" Framer of the Declaration." 

Gov€rnor of Virginia. From this Congress Jefferson re- 
turned to the Virginia House of Burgesses, and three years 
later succeeded Patrick Henry as governor of the State. This 
position he filled while the British armies were active in the 
South, and he was still governor of Virginia when Comwallis 
surrendered at Yorktown. After a few years as minister to 
France, succeeding Franklin, Jefferson became Secretary of 
Foreign Affairs, which position he held until after Washington 
was reelected President. Then he retired for a few years of 
rest at his home in Virginia. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. I79 

When Washington declined a third term as President, the 
people of the United States were not agreed as to his succes- 
sor. There were two parties, Federalists and Antifederalists or 
Democratic-Republicans; the former selected the Vice-Presi- 
dent, John Adams, as their candidate for President, while the 
other party was in favor of Jefferson. Adams was elected. 
Four years later another election took place. Adams was 
defeated and Jefferson was chosen President. 

President of the United States. Then for eight years (1801- 
1809), Thomas Jefferson was at the head of the nation, at a 
time when there was constant danger of war with England or 
France. The war did not come, however, imtil three years 
after Jefferson had left the White House. 

Among the many great acts during these eight years, none 
was more important than that by which the territory of the 
United States was doubled. When the treaty of peace with 
England was signed in 1783, the United States had for its 
western boimdary the Mississippi River. Spain owned the 
western bank of this great river throughout its whole extent, 
and also both banks near its mouth. Contrary to treaty, 
Spain closed New Orleans as a port of deposit for our citizens. 
This was a serious injury to the new States and territories 
bordering on the Mississippi River. 

The Attempt to Buy New Orleans. But just as Jefferson 
became President, Spain sold to France not only the island of 
New Orleans, but also the great province of Louisiana, from 
the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. 

Jefferson now determined, if it were possible, to buy New 
Orleans, and Congress voted two million dollars for the pur- 
pose. Robert R. Livingston, our minister to France, was 
directed to try to purchase the island from Napoleon, and 
James Monroe was sent to France to assist him. 



l8o FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

While Monroe is making his long and tedious voyage across 
the Atlantic, let us see what is going on at Paris. When Liv- 
ingston received by letter his instructions from President 
Jefferson to purchase the island of New Orleans, he at once 
approached Talleyrand, the French secretary of foreign affairs. 
But Talleyrand would not discuss the question, and turned the 
conversation into another channel. Again and again I>iving- 
ston pressed the subject, but without success. 

Meantime difficulties had arisen between France and Eng- 
land. Napoleon, who was now at the head of the French 
Government, saw that war with Great Britain was sme to 
come. He feared that the English navy would capture New 
Orleans and take possession of the whole province of Louisi- 
ana. Then the thought came to him. Why should he not sell 
that whole province to the United States ? If war was com- 
ing he needed money, and, if the sale could be made, the 
price that the United States would pay for the province would 
greatly help his treasury. 

Napoleon's Plan. When Napoleon had thought out this 
plan, he called to him two members of his cabinet to discuss 
the question. This was on Easter Day, 1803. To these two 
ministers he outlined his plan and asked their opinion. Ber- 
thier, the secretary of war, was the first to speak. He opposed 
the scheme with great zeal. The province was a valuable one 
and long ago it had belonged to France. They had now just 
regained possession of it. It would be cowardly to sell it for 
fear the British would capture it. After he had made his 
argument in opposition to the plan, Marbois, the secretary of 
the tre?-sury, replied, favoring Napoleon's proposition. 

Now think of these three men quietly discussing this sub- 
ject all the evening, until late at night. The next morning, 
early, Napoleon had decided the question and sent for Marbois. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



i8i 



He said to him : " The time for inaction has passed. I renotince 
Louisiana. It is not only New Orleans that I will cede, it 
is the whole colony, without any reservation ; but I renounce 
it with the greatest regret. I direct you to negotiate this 
affair; have an interview this very day with Mr, Livingston." 

Marbois Visits Livingston. That Monday evening Living- 
ston wrote a letter to President Jefferson, and in it he said ; 
'* While I was at dinner to- 
day I looked out of the win- 
dow and saw the secretary 
of the treasury coming up 
the avenue. He had never 
before called upon me un- 
announced. As soon as I 
was at liberty I received 
him in the drawing-room, 
and we talked of this and 
that. When he had gone I 
was quite as much at a loss 
to know what he had come 

for as when he came. During our conversation, however, I 
mentioned the subject of New Orleans, and, after reflecting 
a moment, he asked me why we didn't propose to buy the 
whole province. I replied: ' We do not want it. We have 
no money to pay for it. We have no authority to buy it, the 
Constitution not giving any authority to the general govern- 
ment to increase our territory.' " 

But the next day Marbois and Livingston had another inter- 
view upon the subject. It soon became apparent to Liv- 
ingston that Napoleon would be willing to sell the whole 
province, and on the arrival of Mr. Monroe our two ministers, 
after carefuUy considering the whole question, were so im- 




NAPOLEON DECIDES TO SELL LOUISIANA. 



I»2 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



pressed with the great advantage which would come to our 
country from controhing this vast area, that they determined 
— although they had no authority to make such a treaty — to 
assume the responsibility. 

Louisiana Ceded to the United States. And so they con- 
cluded a treaty with France by which that country ceded to 
the United States the entire province of Louisiana, embracing 

the w^hole country from 
the Gulf of Mexico on 
the south to the British 
possessions on the north, 
and from the Mississippi 
River to the Rocky 
Mountains. 

This more than 
doubled the territory of 
the United States. 
When Napoleon signed 
the treaty, as he laid 
down the pen after affix- 
ing his name to the doc- 
ument, he said, " This 
accession of territory 
forever strengthens the 
power of the United States, and I have just given to England 
a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her pride." 

" A Noble Work." Marbois signed the treaty ; then Liv- 
ingston and Monroe. When Mr. Monroe had written his 
name, he arose from, the chair, turned to Mr. Livingston with 
manifest emotion, and the two shook hands. Then Livingston 
said : 

"You and I have lived long and done many things for 




LIVINGSTON AND MONROE CONGRATULATING 

EACH OTHER ON THE PURCHASE OF 

LOUISIANA. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



183 




HOW THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE ENLARGED OUR COUNTRY, 



184 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

which our country will remember us with gratitude, but 
when we have gone from this world that which we have done 
to-day will stand out as the noblest work of our lives. The 
treaty which we have just signed has not been obtained by 
art or dictated by force. It is equally advantageous to the 
two countries and it will change vast solitudes into flourishing 
districts. From this day the United States takes its place 
among the powers of the first rank." 

We paid for this extensive territory $15,000,000. When 
the treaty became known to the American people they were 
divided in sentiment concerning its wisdom, but it was signed 
by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and, as Livingston 
said to Monroe, from that day the United States has ranked 
among the first nations of the earth, 

Jefferson's first term as President was a great success. 
While he did not plan the purchase of Louisiana, yet it was 
consummated by him during this administration. He there- 
fore received the credit for so important an event. 

During all these years Jefferson was the leader of the 
political party known as the Democratic-Republican party. 
The times were stormy, and Jefferson's career was not without 
great opposition from the Federalists. He refused a third 
election, and James Madison became his successor. 

Death of Adams and Jefferson. It is a little remarkable that 
he and John Adams, the two immediate successors of Washing- 
ton in the Presidency, should both have died on the same day, 
and that day the Fourth of July, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary 
of the American Independence. Jefferson died at Monticello 
about one o'clock in the afternoon. Adams died at Quincy 
only a few hours later. Just before his death he said: 
" Thomas Jefferson still survives." 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



i8S 



Give an account of Jefferson's first experience at Williamsburg. 
Tell the story of Patrick Henry's famous speech in the House of 
Burgesses. 

Give an account of the framing of the Declaration of Independence. 
State the reasons for sending James Monroe to France. 
Explain Napoleon's desire to sell Louisiana to the United States. 
Describe the purchase of that great province. 

From what you have learned concerning the Revolutionary War, 
which of the colonies do you think did the most toward American 
Independence? Which three men would you name as the most promi- 
nent orators who exerted the greatest influence upon the American 
people in favor of independence ? Why do you think Jefferson refused 
a third term as President? Was the purchase of Louisiana a benefit 
to the United States? What advantages can you mention coming 
from this great increase of territory? Who deserves the most credit 
for the purchase of Louisiana? 




LADx AND GENTLEMAN OF THE BEGINNING OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 




A modern ' ocean 
greyhound ' — made 
possible by Fulton's 
invention and energy. 



A modern iron clad. 
Before Fulton s time 
wmd was the war- 
ship s only motive 
power. 



CHAPTER XXIV 

Robert Fulton 

1765-1815 

Modem Steamboats. What a wonderful invention was the 
American steamboat! Look at it to-day! The ferryboats 
that are constantly crossing the Hudson and the East River at 
New York, — what could we do without them? Think what 
it would mean if we had no coast-line steamers from New 
York to Norfolk, to Savannah, to New Orleans; no elegant 
floating palaces plying up and down our great rivers, or be- 
tween Buffalo and Duluth, or between New York and Fall 
River; no ocean liners, greyhoimds of the sea, running with 
perfect regularity between this coimtry and the ports of 
Europe; no steamers running with equal regularity between 
San Francisco and the ports of China, Japan, the Philippines, 
and elsewhere. 

Passenger steamers and freight steamers are to-day doing 
a very large part of our carrying from one port to another in 

186 



ROBERT FULTON. 



187 



our own country, and from one nation to another across the 
ocean. 

The invention of the steamboat was a splendid triumph 
of genius. Like most other inventions, it was not entirely 
due to any one man. Many early attempts to use steam 
power for propelling ves- 
sels upon the water were 
made. 

The First Steamboats. 
James Rumsey, of Mary- 
land (in 1 786 ), built a boat 
which was moved upon the 
Potomac River by steam 
at the rate of four miles an 
hour. In this boat the 
power was applied by 
forcing out at the stem a 
stream of water, which 
pushed the boat forward, 
the water having been 
taken in at the bow. 

Meanwhile John Fitch, 
of Connecticut, experimented with his steamboat on the Dela- 
ware River. His first boat was propelled by paddles moved 
by steam power, at a speed of three miles an hour; this was 
afterward increased to eight miles. 

Four years later. Captain Samuel Morey, of New Hamp- 
shire, built a small beat which he navigated upon the upper 
Connecticut River by steam power furnished by an engine of 
his own make. He continued his experiments for many 
years; at one time we find him running his little steam- 
boat upon the Delaware River, and again building another 




FITCH S STEAMBOAT. 



l88 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



boat in New York, in which he made the passage from that 

city to Hartford. 

For some years, at the beginning of the century, John 

Stevens, of New York, was engaged in experimenting with 

the steamboat. All 
these experiments, 
while not entirely suc- 
cessful, yet gave real 
assistance to the in- 
ventors who followed 
them. The first man 
in this country to build 
a steamboat which 
succeeded in every 
way was Robert Ful- 
ton. 

Robert Fulton. Rob- 
ert Fulton was a 



native of Pennsyl- 
vania. Early in his 
life he showed a taste 
for drawing and paint- 
ing. At the same time, 
even from his childhood, he was greatly interested in machinery, 
and particularly in new inventions. When he was twenty-one 
years of age Fulton went to London, carrying letters of intro- 
duction to the famous painter, Benjamin West, also a native of 
Pennsylvania. West received him into his family, and Fulton 
studied painting imder his instruction, for several years. 

While in England, Fulton became interested in improving 
canals, and this turned his attention toward the use of steam 
in propelling boats. Afterward, we find him a member of the 




AN EARLY SIDE-WHEEL STEAMBOAT. 



ROBERT FULTON. I 89 

family of Joel Barlow, an American poet, in Paris. Here he 
made experiments with a boat to be used in torpedo warfare. 

Failure. Later still, he took up again the subject of steam 
navigation. At this time he was encouraged by Robert R. 
Livingston, our minister to the French court, who had already 
experimented in America. Livingston furnished the money 
with which Fulton built a small boat near Paris. When he 
had run his boat a few times, Fulton sought to bring it to 
th3 attention of the French government. He succeeded in 
awakening the interest of the great Napoleon. He was 
directed to give a public exhibition of the boat in the presence 
of a committee of learned men. 

For many days Fulton kept steadily at work, seeking to 
make every part as perfect as possible. The day before the 
trial the little steamboat was ready. That night Fulton foimd 
it difficult to sleep, so much depended on the morrow. To- 
ward morning, when he had fallen into a doze, he was awakened 
by a knock at the door and the message that his boat was at the 
bottom of the river. The iron machinery had broken through 
the hull, and both boat and engine had sunk. 

Perhaps this failure was a blessing in disguise. The boat was 
probably too small to make a successful trip. The next time he 
would have a larger vessel. He determined to have a steamboat 
built in America, and he fully believed it would bring success. 

Success. Livingston agreed to pay the bills, and, acting 
under his advice, Fulton drew a plan for an engine to be built at 
Birmingham, England. He now crossed the Atlantic and at 
New York directed the building of the first really successful 
steamboat in America. It was completed, the great engine 
was properly placed within it, and on the eleventh day of 
August, 1807, it left the dock at New York City and steamed 
up the Hudson River. 



1 9© 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



The trip to Albany, a distance of about one hundred and 
fifty miles, was made upon this first voyage in thirty-two 
hours. The steamboat was named the Clermont, as a compli- 
ment to Livingston, that being the name of his country seat 
on the Hudson. 

What an interesting sight it must have been to see this 
steamboat move slowly away from the pier at New York on 
that first memorable trip! Everybody had said it would not 




THE FIRST TRIP OF FULTON S CLERMONT UP THE HUDSON RIVhR. 

move; the scheme was impossible; machinery would never 
carry such a heavy boat through the water. They had 
laughed at Fulton; they had called him insane. 

It was perfectly clear to everybody that the boat would 
not move; yet it did move. Then they said it would not go 
far — it would soon stop ; but on it went, at the rate of about 
five miles an hour, over the whole distance, imtil it reached 
Albany. 

Its return trip was equally successful, and through the 
summer and fall it continued to make regular trips back and 
forth between New York and Albany. 



ROBERT FULTON. I9I 

The American steamboat was invented, and from that suc- 
cessful attempt prodigious results have been achieved. 

Tell something about Rumsey's boat; Fitch's boat; Morey's boats; 
Stevens's boat. 

Tell the story of Robert Fulton: as an artist; as an inventor of 
other things besides steamboats. 

Give an account of Fulton's disappointment at Paris. 

Tell the story of the Clermont. 

What advantages has a steamboat over a sailing vessel? How did 
Fulton's skill in drawing aid him when he gave directions for the 
building of his boats and engines? Do you know what a torpedo is — 
that is, one that is used in war? Why did Fulton wish the French 
government to know about his steamboat? Did Fulton have any ad- 
vantages or aids that Rumsey and the other early experimenters . did 
not have? 




STATUE OP ROBERT FULTON IN THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON 





CHAPTER XXV 

Stephen Decatur 

1779-1820 



The War with TripoH. During the first term that Thomas 
Jefferson was President, the United States was engaged in a 
naval war with TripoH. This small nation, on the southern 
shore of the Mediterranean Sea, .demanded that the United 
States should pay her a large sum of money ; if we would not, 
Tripoli proposed to capture our merchant vessels wherever 
she could find them. 

The United States refused to pay this tribute, and for four 
years our navy was emploved in fighting these pirates. When 
peace was made, the United States had won for her navy a 
place among the navies of the world. 

This naval war gave training to many sailors who, a few 
years later, were required to meet the navy of Great Britain, 
then called " The Mistress of the Seas." Many heroic en- 
counters took place in the war with Tripoli, which showed the 
bravery of the sailors of the yoimg nation now consisting of 
seventeen States. 

Among these incidents was one which caused the Congress 
of the United States to present a sword to the yotmg lieuten- 
ant, its hero. 



STEPHEN DECATUR. I 93 

The " Philadelphia." One of the largest and best of the 
American men-of-war, the Philadelphia, had been accidentally 
run agroimd in the very harbor of Tripoli. The sailors had 
been compelled to abandon it, and in a short time the people 
of Tripoli had taken possession. This was a great loss to the 
American fleet; a double loss, for it meant one less vessel for 
them and one more vessel for the enemy. 

The abandoned ship was directly in range of the guns of 
the forts and war vessels of Tripoli. To try to recapture it 
would have been unwise; many lives would have been lost 
in an attempt that doubtless would have proved a failure. 
However, the daring lieutenant, one dark night, took the 
Intrepid and sailed slowly into the harbor. 

This small vessel had been captured from the enemy and 
still had the appearance of being one of the Tripolitan boats. 
The Intrepid was brought directly to the side of the Philadel- 
phia, and the lieutenant and his men leaped aboard. The 
Tripolitan crew fled in their boats to the shore ; the American 
seamen set fire to the Philadelphia. Though the guns from 
the forts opened on them at once, yet the Intrepid sailed out 
of the harbor without losing a man. 

Lieutenant Stephen Decatur thus won for himself a place 
among the great American heroes. 

Stephen Decatur. Decatur was bom in Maryland during the 
Revolutionary War. His father before him was an officer in 
the American navy, and Stephen took his first voyage with 
him when he was but eight years of age. Before he was twenty 
he was a midshipman on board the United States. Young 
Decatur labored hard to make himself master of his profession, 
and he soon became an excellent sailor and a good officer. 
When but twenty-five years of age, because of his exploit at 
Tripoli, he was made a commodore in the American navy. 



194 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

One day, as his ship was sailing in the open sea, the cry 
suddenly rang out, "Man overboard!" Sailors sprang to 
launch the boats, but Decatur instantly sprang into the sea 
and in a few moments succeeded in reaching the drowning 
man. He held hirn above the waves until the boats reached 
the spot, and both men were pulled aboard. 

A Battle at Sea. When the war with Great Britain, called 
the War of 1812, broke out. Commodore Decatur was in 
command of the frigate United States. Soon after putting out 
to sea, Decatur fell in with the British frigate Macedonian, 
commanded by Captain Carden. The two vessels cleared their 
decks for action. Just before the battle commenced, little 
Jack Creamer, a lad of ten years, who had been allowed to 
make the cruise, though not old enough to be enlisted as one of 
the crew, started forward toward Decatur, touched his hat, and 
said to him: " Commodore, will you please to have my name 
put down on the muster roll? " 

" Why, my lad? " replied the captain, surprised at the cour- 
age and confidence the little fellow manifested. 

" So that I can draw my share of the prize-money, sir." 
Decatur gave the order that he should be enrolled, and Jack 
returned to the gun of which he was powder boy. 

Then the carnage began. The gims of the United States 
were fired with such rapidity that the whole ship seemed to 
be one mass of flame and smoke from stem to stem. A shot 
soon carried away the mizzenmast of the Macedonian. One 
of the gunners exclaimed: " Ay, ay. Jack, we have made a 
brig of her." (You must remember that a ship has three 
masts, all square-rigged, while a brig has two; one of the 
ship's masts having been shot away, of course but two re- 
mained, and the gunner called it, therefore, a brig.) Decatur, 
who was standing by, immediately replied, " Take good aim, 



STEPHEN DECATUR. 



195 



my lad, at the mainmast, and she will soon be a sloop." (A 
sloop has but one mast. ) Soon her fore and main topmasts 
went over the side, and her bowsprit, foreyard, and both 
remaining masts were all badly crippled. 




THE " UNITED STATES " CAPTURING THE BRITISH " MACEDONIAN. 



Victory. A gtinner saw his comrade desperately wounded at 
his side, and exclaimed to him: " Ah, my good fellow, I must 
attend to the enemy a few minutes longer; then I will look 
out for you. His colors must soon come down." " Let me 
live till I hear that," replied the wounded man, '* and I shall 



196 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

want care from nobody." In seventeen minutes more the 
Macedonian struck her colors, a complete wreck. 

Soon after the action was ended, Decatur sent for Jack 
Creamer and said: " Well, Jack, we have taken her, and your 
share of the prize, if we get her safe into port, will probably 
be two hundred dollars. What will you do with it? " 

" I will send half of it to my mother, sir, and the other 
half shall pay for my schooling." 

" That is noble! " exclaimed Decatur. 

The commodore now received Captain Carden on board 
the United States. That officer extended his sword to the 
victorious Decatur, but the brave commodore said to him, 
" Sir, I cannot receive the sword of a man who has so 
bravely defended his ship." In a private letter to his wife 
the commodore wrote : ' ' One half of the satisfaction arising 
from this victory is destroyed in seeing the mortification of 
poor Carden, who deserved success as much as we did who 
had the good fortune to obtain it. I do all I can to console 
him." 

The Horrors of War. But what a terrible thing such a 
naval battle is ! While on the United States only seven were 
killed and five others wounded, on the Macedonian, out of a 
crew of three himdred, more than one third were killed or 
woimded. 

One of the officers who was sent by Commodore Decatur 
on board the Macedonian after the surrender, described the 
horrible scenes that he witnessed in the following words: 
" Fragments of the dead were distributed in every direction; 
the decks covered with blood; one continued agonizing yell 
of the unhappy wounded; a scene so horrible of my fellow- 
creatures I assure you deprived me very much of the pleasure 
of victory." 



STEPHEN DECATUR. 



197 




THE FAMOUS UNITED STATES VESSEL " CONSTITUTION " (OLD IRONSIDES). 
J'Vom photogravure of painting by Marshall Johnson, pubUshed by A. W. Elson & Co.. BoBton 



198 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Only a few years ago we saw in the war with Spain how, by 
the vast improvements which have been made in warHke imple- 
ments, the destruction of life to-day is immensely greater than 
at that period. It is to be hoped that the time is near when 
the leading nations of the world will agree to settle their dis- 
putes peacefully and make war impossible. 

Other Victories. The battle between the United States and 
the Macedonian was but one in a long series of victories for our 
navy, and Commodore Decatur was only one among many 
distinguished naval commanders who brought the British 
government to show greater respect for our republic than she 
ever had done before. 

In the first naval battle of the war, Captain Isaac Hull, with 
the frigate Constitution (Old Ironsides, as it has been called), 
defeated the British Guerriere. The Essex, under the com- 
mand of Captain Porter, won many victories and made a re- 
markable voyage on the Pacific Ocean. The United States 
frigate Chesapeake yielded to the British Shannon only after 
the death of Captain Lawrence, who had exclaimed, when 
mortally wounded, " Don't give up the ship ! " 

Our navy was successful not only on the ocean, but on the 
lakes as well. Captain Oliver Hazard Perry built a little fleet 
on the shores of Lake Erie, and after a fight with the British 
fleet announced his victory in these words: " We have met 
the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one 
schooner, and one sloop," Perry's victory ended the war 
in the Northwest, and Captain Macdonough's victory on Lake 
Champlain was the last contest along the northern boimdary. 

In December, 18 14, the treaty of Ghent was signed, and 
the last war between the United States and Great Britain came 
to an end. 

Mediterranean Pirates. This war with Great Britain en- 



STEPHEN DECATUR. 



199 




200 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

couraged Algiers and the Barbary States to make war again 
upon our vessels in the Mediterranean. Commodore Decatur 
was sent in 1815 with a fleet to demand satisfaction. The 
frightened Algerines promptly signed a treaty and promised to 
pay for the ships which they had captured and to stop their 
privateering. Decatur sailed away to Tripoli and Tunis, and 
those powers agreed to the same terms. Since this expedition 
of Commodore Decatur to the Barbary States, we have had no 
further trouble from those pirates. 

The city of Baltimore toasted Decatur with these words: 
'* Renowned for his action; beloved for his virtues." He 
received a sword from Congress for burning the Philadelphia; 
another for the attacks on Tripoli ; a medal for the capture of 
the Macedonian; from the city of New York, a box containing 
the freedom of the city ; the medal of the Order of Cincinnati ; a 
sword from Pennsylvania., another from Philadelphia, and a 
third from Virginia; and both the cities of Baltimore and 
Philadelphia sent him services of plate for closing the Alge- 
rine war. The American people are not ungrateful. 

Explain the cause of the war with Tripoli. 

Tell the story of the burning of the Philadelphia; of the rescue of 
the " man overboard " ; of the boy, Jack Creamer. 

Describe Decatur's early life; the battle with the Macedonian; the 
conquest of the Barbary States. 

Give accounts of some of the naval commanders in the War of 181 2. 

Why do we call Tripolitans pirates? Why was it better to burn 
the P/zz/acft'/^/zza than to capture it? What is a midshipman? Which 
required the more bravery, to burn the Philadelphia or to rescue the 
drowning man? Why did Jack Creamer suppose that there would be 
prize-money that he might share? Why did Decatur say that Jack's 
proposed use of his money was " noble "? What effect did the naval 
War of 181 2 have upon Great Britain? 




CHAPTER XXVI 

Andrew Jackson 

I 767-1 845 



A Young Rebel. In the Revolutionary War, after the sur- 
render of General Lincoln at Charleston, the whole of South 
Carolina was overrun by the British army. Among those 
captured on one of these raids was a small boy, thirteen years 
old. He was carried prisoner to Camden, and nearly starved. 
While in Camden a British officer, with a very imperious tone, 
ordered the boy to clean his boots, which were covered with 
mud. 

" Here, boy! You young rebel, what are you doing there? 
Take these boots and clean them, and be quick about it, too! " 

The boy looked up at him and said : 

" Sir, I won't do it. I am a prisoner of war and expect 
proper treatment from you, sir," 

The enraged officer drew his sword and aimed a blow at the 
boy's head, which would doubtless have killed him on the spot 
had he not thrown up his left arm to protect himself. As it 
was, he received a severe cut on the arm, the mark of which 
he carried to the day of his death. 

Hard Times. His brother, for a similar offense, received a 
deep cut upon the head, from the effect of which he died a few 
days later. Some weeks afterward, his mother, worn out by 



202 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



grief, anxiety, and need, yielded up her life. His father had 
died years before. He was thus left an orphan with no 
relatives, no human being in the wide world with whom he 
could claim a near relationship. He was confined to his bed by 
sickness and the sufferings he had undergone while a prisoner 

in the hands of the 
British, and then, to cap 
the climax, he took the 
smallpox, which wellnigh 
ended his sorrows and 
his life. 

But from all these 
troubles, trials, and afflic- 
tions he rallied, and be- 
came one of the most 
notable leaders in mili- 
tary and political affairs 
that this country has ever 
produced. 

lliis boy, first brought 
to our attention in the 
Southern campaign of the 
American Revolution, af- 
terward became famous 
in the war with the Creek 
Indians, in the War of 
1812 with England, in the Seminole War in Florida, and was 
twice elected President of the United States. He held this high 
ofhce for eight years, at a time of great party strife, when 
measures of the utmost importance were before the country. 
This boy was Andrew Jackson. 

Jackson's Boyhood. Two years before he was bom, his 




THE BRITISH OFFICER ORDERING YOUNG 
JACKSON TO CLEAN HIS BOOTS. 



ANDREW JACKSON. 203 

father and mother had come to this country from the north of 
Ireland and had settled near the boundary line between North 
and South Carolina. Early obliged to earn his own living, 
Andrew's opportunities to attend school were very limited. 
He learned to read, to write after a fashion, and to figure a 
little. In all his life he was never able to write good English. 
' As we have seen, his career as a fighter began early. He 
was a firm patriot. He never liked the British, and after 
that blow from the officer's sword his hatred of the govern- 
ment of England was always kept alive and burning brightly. 

What sort of youth must we suppose Andrew Jackson 
was up to this time? He was strong, he had health, he was 
active, but he had no great ambition to rise. He was de- 
scribed as rollicking, noisy, and mischievous. But his boy- 
ish pranks were soon laid aside for the great deeds he wished 
to perform. 

A Busy Lawyer. When just of age, Andrew moved into the 
territory of Tennessee. He had previously studied law, and 
in this new country he soon had plenty of business. The 
rough settlers of the frontier usually prefer to settle their 
disputes with their fists, or with knives or firearms. They 
are too hasty to be willing to wait for the slow decisions of 
courts of justice. But when life becomes a little quieter in such 
regions, the pioneers are more willing that their disputes should 
be settled in accordance with the law. Then the lawyer, if he 
is popular among the rude frontiersmen, finds his hands full; 
Andrew Jackson was popular. 

Tennessee was admitted into the Union as a State. Jackson 
was elected to Congress, first as a representative and then as a 
senator. Soon he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court 
of Tennessee. After six years as judge he resigned in order to 
attend to his private business. He had fallen into debt, but 



204 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

after a time he paid all that he owed. He had a clear head 
for business, and he successfully managed his large plantation. 
At the same time he became noted for his fair and honorable 
dealings with all men. 

" Old Hickory." After the war with England broke out 
(1812), Jackson was ordered to Natchez with two thousand 
men. He went South in high spirits, intending to plant the 
flag upon the ramparts at Mobile, Pensacola, and St. Augus- 
tine ; for he had long desired that Florida should be a part of 
the United States. 

But soon after his arrival at Natchez he was ordered to 
disband his troops. Jackson was angry at this order, because 
it prevented his attacking Florida. He also felt that it was 
wrong, because it left the soldiers at Natchez; this town was 
many miles from their starting-point, and the men had no 
money to carry them home. He refused to obey the order 
and marched the troops back in a body. 

During this march he became the idol of his men, and his 
determined will and strength of character brought to him the 
nickname of ' ' Old Hickory. ' ' From this time onward through 
his whole life his friends and admirers called him by that 
name, and gloried in it. 

War with Creek Indians. While the war was going on, the 
western Indians arose in their might, determined to drive back 
all the white men who had crossed the mountains. The Creek 
Indians, one thousand strong, captured Fort Mims in Alabama, 
and massacred more than five himdred men, women, and 
children. 

Jackson now took the field again, at the head of twenty- 
five hundred men. His difficulties and dangers were great. 
Provisions were lacking; in that new country it was difficult 
to hold privates to strict military obedience, and quarrels 



ANDREW JACKSON. 205 

between the generals prevented the necessary united action. 
Jackson, however, here showed that he had great abihty as a 
general; he was always alert and watchful; he never lacked 
patience; and he proved that he knew how to lead men and 
obtain from them faithful obedience. 

He soon gained a decisive victory over the Indians in a 
great battle at Horse-Shoe Bend on the Tallapoosa River, and 
the strength of the Creek Nation was broken. 

This campaign of Jackson's marks the downfall of Indian 
power in that section of the country. It also had a decided 
effect upon our war with Great Britain, since up to this time 
the English had received much assistance from the Indians. 
Jackson was now made major-general in the regular army. 

The Battle of New Orleans. At Mobile and Pensacola he 
defeated the British and drove them entirely out of Florida. 
They determined to capture New Orleans, in order to make a 
permanent conquest of the whole lower Mississippi Valley. 

Jackson consequently brought his entire force to New 
Orleans, and soon fought one of the most notable battles of 
the whole war. 

Sir Edward Pakenham, in command of the British forces, 
tried to overwhelm Jackson and his army by a direct attack. 
In less than an hour the British were in fuU retreat, leaving 
twenty-six hundred men killed and wounded on the field, 
while the American loss was only twenty-one killed and 
wounded. Seldom, if ever, in the history' of the world has 
a, land battle been fought where one side lost so many and 
the other side so few in proportion. 

It was the most complete defeat the British army had ever 
experienced. Our other land battles in this war had not been 
^-ery favorable to us, but this great victory fully restored the 
reputation of the American armies. 



2o6 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Jackson's Popularity. Up to this time General Jackson had 
not been widely and popularly known throughout the whole 
country. Many asked the questions, " Who is this great 
man? To what State does he belong? " 

From this time until the day of his death he occupied 
the most prominent place in the popular mind. During 




THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 

Monroe's second term as President of the United States 
(1821-1825,) Jackson began to be talked of for President, 
When he first heard of the suggestion he was thunder- 
struck. He knew himself to be a rough, imeducated, mili- 
tary man, with little knowledge of state affairs. At first 
he ridiculed the idea. 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



207 



" Do you suppose," said he, " that I am such a fool as to 
think myself fit to be President of the United States? No, 
sir! I know what I am fit for. I can command a body of 
men in a rough way, but I am not fit to be President." 

Jackson really had less personal ambition than many men, 
but he was very popular, and without doubt flattery went far 
in influencing him to accept the nomination. But he was 
defeated and John Quincy Adams was elected President. 

Elected President. From this time onward Jackson devoted 
himself to politics; and in the next campaign he was elected 




TRAVELING BY CANAL BOAT IN JACKSON S TIME. 



President by a large majority, and John C. Calhoun was made 
Vice-President. 

So great was Jackson's popularity that he was reelected to 
the presidency. Nevertheless, during both his terms (1829- 
1837 ) he had a stormy time. 

Nullification in South Carolina. Among the many important 
events during his presidency was the trouble with South 
Carolina. Then, as now, people were divided in their opraions 
concerning the tariff. The politicians of South Carolina did 
not like a tariff bill which the Congress of the United States had 
passed. Therefore a convention was held in that State which 



2o8 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



voted that the tariff law should be " null and void " in South 
Carolina. By this was meant that they would not allow the 
United States government to collect the import taxes upon 
goods entering that State. 

This act was called nullification. It really declared that 
the laws of the United States could not be enforced in South 
Carolina unless that State was willing. It made the power of 
the State greater than that of the United States. 

Jackson immediately sent Lieutenant Farragut with a 
naval force to Charleston Harbor, and ordered General Scott 




THE EARLY RAILWAY TRAIN. 



to have troops in readiness to enter South Carolina if neces- 
sary, Jackson believed that a State had no right to " nullify " 
a law of the United States, and that such action was contrary 
to the Constitution and, if permitted to become a precedent, 
would finally destroy the nation. 

Clay's Compromise. A bill to modify the tariff, sometimes 
called the " Clay Compromise Tariff Bill," passed Congress and 
was accepted by the nullifiers, and South Carolina remained in 
the Union. Thirty years afterward South Carolina went a 
little further and declared her right to withdraw altogether 
from the Union. That last act was followed by a four years' 



ANDREW JACKSON. 209 

war (the Civil War), which finally determined the question; 
now the power of the separate States is acknowledged by 
everybody to be subordinate to the national power. 

Changes in American Life. The two terms during which 
Jackson was President form a remarkable period in the history 
of the country. Besides the great political events of these 
years, important changes in daily life were taking place. 
Steam railroads were begun, anthracite coal was brought into 
use, friction matches were invented, and the reaping machine 
was patented. 

At the end of this time Jackson retired to private life, much 
more popular even than when he became President. He 
spent the remaining eight years of his life on his plantation, 
" The Hermitage," near Nashville, Tennessee. 

Jackson died at the age of seventy-eight, after having held 
more power than any other American had ever possessed, 
and after having succeeded in every great undertaking which 
he attempted. The name of Andrew Jackson is to-day 
classed with those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, 
and Thomas Jefferson, in the hearts of the American people. 

Give an account of the boy, Andrew Jackson, as a patriotic prisoner 
of war. 

Tell the story of Jackson's education; of his early character; of his 
campaigns against Florida, against the Creeks, against the British. 

Give an account of Jackson: as a candidate for the presidency; as 
President. 

Had the British officer a right to order Andrew to black his boots? 
Can you understand why Jackson was popular with the pioneers of Ten- 
nessee? Could not Judge Jackson have properly attended to his pri- 
vate business and still remained a judge? Why was Jackson called 
" Old Hickory "? Why was the obedience of privates harder to obtain 
in the new country than in longer-settled regions? 




CHAPTER XXVII 

Calhoun — Clay — Webster 

1782-1850 1777-1852 1782-1852 

National Problems. For twenty years after Washington 
became President, the development of this country was slow. 
From 1 810 to the middle of the century its growth was far 
more rapid. 

During these years great questions were argued in Congress. 
At one time it was the tariff; at another, the National Bank; 
now it would be the question of internal improvement at the 
national expense; then would appear important questions 
relating to the development of our Western territory, or the 
annexation of Texas, or the war with Mexico. During this 
time, also, slavery became one of the most important questions 
before the national government. 

At the beginning of our history as a nation, thirteen colo- 
nies, separate from each other, had joined together to secure 
by their united efforts their independence from Great Britain. 
Their union, however, was weak, and jealousy existed between 
the Northern and the Southern States, and between the larger 



CALHOUN CLAY WEBSTER. 2 T I 

and the smaller States. When the Constitution was framed it 
largely increased the national power, but the people were 
afraid of any strong, centralized authority over them, which 
might sometime take away the power and independence of the 
individual States. 

Political Parties. Hence arose two parties in the nation. 
One party favored a strong, central, national government ; the 
other party was called " the State Rights party," and its 
extreme advocates held that each State was superior to the 
nation, that a State could " nullify " or repudiate acts of 
Congress, or, in an extreme case, could legally withdraw from 
the Union. 

The National party, on the other hand, scouted the idea 
that a part was greater than a whole, that the nation was 
only a league of States, and it held that the United States of 
America was a nation, made up by a union of all the States 
for national purposes; that self-preservation is the first law 
of nations as well as of individuals, and that no one State 
could override in any way the national government. 

Three Statesmen. During this whole period of forty years, 
three men, whose ancestors came from three foreign countries, 
and who themselves represented three diverse sections of this 
country, the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Central West, 
were the leaders in the discussion of all these important 
questions at Washington. 

The life of John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, covered the 
period from 1782 to 1850. He was of Irish descent. Henry 
Clay was bom five years earlier and died two years later. He 
was of English parentage, and. throughout most of his life 
he represented Kentucky in Congress. Daniel Webster was 
bom the same year as Calhoim, and died in the same year with 
Clay. He was of Scotch extraction. 



212 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

John C. Calhoun. When Calhoun first entered Congress we 
were on the eve of a war with Great Britain. From that time 
he took a foremost place in the discussion of the questions 
which continued to agitate the country. In his earlier years he 
favored the National Bank, a protective tariff, and a system 
of national roads and canals. He was not always consistent, 
but he explained his course by saying that remedies proper 
for one condition of things might be improper for other 
conditions. 

Quarrels with Jackson. During Jackson's administration 
Calhoun quarreled with the President and soon appeared as 
the champion of State rights, that is, State supremacy over 
the nation, and defended the principle of nullification. 

This means that he held that a State had a constitutional 
right to nullify and make void an act of Congress, so far as 
that State was concerned, whenever it was believed to be con- 
trary to the Constitution of the United States. A convention 
of delegates in South Carolina in the year 1832 passed an ordi- 
nance nullifying the tariff laws. 

A tariff law, it should be explained, is an act of Congress 
imposing a tax on merchandise imported into our country. 
This tariff may be designed only to raise a revenue for the 
government, or it may be intended to protect American in- 
dustries. In the former case it is a " revenue tariff," in the 
latter case it is called a " protective tariff." 

South Carolina's attempt to nullify the national tariff law 
caused great excitement. 

At a public dinner on Jefferson's birthday, after several 
regular toasts had been given favoring nullification, Jackson 
suddenly arose with a volunteer toast: " Our Federal Union, 
it must be preserved." Calhoun immediately replied with a 
toast and a speech in behalf of " Liberty, dearer than the 



CALHOUN CLAY WEBSTER. 213 

Union." But President Jackson took strong ground against 
the nullifiers. 

Influence of Calhoun. Calhoun was Vice-President. He 
resigned that office, and was immediately elected to the Senate 
by his State. On the floor of the Senate he defended his State 
and its policy, but the President threatened to hang the nulli- 
fiers " as high as Haman " if they did not recede from their 
position. Congress finally passed a new tariff act more 
favorable to the South, and South Carolina withdrew its 
opposition to the collection of the tariff duties in the ports of 
that State. 

That ended the controversy for that time, but for years 
before and after this date, Calhoun persistently taught the 
people of the South that the Union was merely a compact 
between the States, which could be broken at pleasure by any 
one of them. Hence, it came to pass that this doctrine, 
which was called the " Right of Secession," continually 
gained adherents in the South. In the North, the right of 
secession and the right to nullify a law of Congress fotmd very 
few adherents, while, as the years passed by, the people of the 
Southern States came more and more generally to believe in 
that doctrine. 

Mr. Calhoim's active life for about forty years was passed 
in the national House of Representatives, in the United 
States Senate, as a member of the President's Cabinet, and 
as Vice-President of the United States. 

Henry Clay. Henry Clay, the second of this great trio of 
statesmen, was bom in Virginia, was early left an orphan, and 
was obliged to earn his own living from the age of fourteen 
years. He had no opportionity for a collegiate education, but 
studied law, and was admitted to the bar at the early age of 
twenty. He then removed to Lexington, Kentucky, and from 



214 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

that time onward for nearly half a century till his death he was 
the idol of his adopted State, his lifelong home. 

His political career began before he was twenty-one. He 
was appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate 
before he had reached thirty years,* and at the expiration of 
his term the people of Kentucky sent him to the House of 
Representatives, of which he was immediately elected speaker. 

His Brilliant Career. Clay's public life, like that of Calhoun, 
covered a period of more than forty years, and throughout its 
whole extent his career was brilliant in the extreme. He 
served his coimtry as representative, as senator, and as Secre- 
tary of State under President John Quincy Adams. 

After his service in the Cabinet was ended, he again entered 
the Senate, of which he remained a member most of the 
time until his death. He was reelected senator in 1851, took 
his seat in December of that year, but, owing to failing health, 
he appeared in the Senate only once during the winter. He 
died June 29, 1852, and was buried in the cemetery at Lexing- 
ton, where a monument, consisting of a tall cylindrical column 
surmounted by a statue, stands over his tomb. 
• A Great Orator. Clay was one of the greatest orators of his 
day. But it is said that he could never quote poetry. The 
story is told that on one occasion, when he was to deliver an 
address at a barbecue, he determined to overcome this inability. 
He had committed to memory that famous passage from Sir 
Walter Scott: 

" Breathes there the man with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 

This is my own, my native land! 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned 
As home his footsteps he hath turned 

From wandering on a foreign strand? 

* A violation of the Constitution, iinnoticed at the time. 



CALHOUN CLAY WEBSTER. 215 

If such there breathe, go, mark him well; 
For him no minstrel raptures swell ; 
High though his titles, proud his name, 
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim; 
Despite those titles, power, and pelf, 
The wretch, concentred all in self. 
Living, shall forfeit fair renown. 
And, doubly dying, shall go down 
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, 
Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung." 

This was to be the opening of his speech. He therefore 
began : 

' ' Mr. President and fellow-citizens : 

' Breathes there the man with soul so dead,' — " 

but he could not recall the next line. He therefore began 
again : 

" Mr. President and fellow-citizens : 

' Breathes there the man with soul so dead,' — • " 

but the next line was as obdurate as before. It would not 
show itself. He repeated for the third time, and still the 
second line would not come to his memory. He therefore 
was obHged to omit the poetry and go on with what he had 
planned should follow it. 

The Missouri Compromise. Calhoun belonged to the Demo- 
cratic party. Clay, after the formation of the Whig party, 
was a firm adherent to its principles. 

Clay figured prominently in many great questions which 
came before Congress during that long period when he was 
a member either of one house or the other. He took an im- 
portant part in the national legislation connected with the 
admission of the State of Missouri, 1819-21. The action of 



210 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Congress at that time created the first great poHtical excite- 
ment over slavery throughout the country. After long and 
bitter discussion of the whole subject, Mr. Clay moved that 
it be referred to a special committee. This motion prevailed 
and he was appointed chairman of that committee. There 
was a joint committee of Senate and House, and this com- 
mittee reported to the two houses a resolution admitting ]\Iis- 
souri as a slave State and Maine as a free State, with a provision 
forever prohibiting slavery north of 36° 30', in all the rest of 
that territory which we had purchased of France, called the 
Province of Louisiana. 

This was called the " Missouri Compromise," and was largely 
brought about by the influence of Henry Clay. His efforts 
in this matter gave him the name of " The Great Pacificator." 

Clay was the Whig candidate for President in .1844, but 
was defeated on account of his position upon the question of 
the annexation of Texas. At the close of the Mexican War, 
Clay strongly opposed acquiring from Mexico any additional 
territory. 

The Compromise of 1850. In 1850, when California asked to 
be admitted as a State with a constitution which prohibited 
slavery, and the question arose whether slavery should be 
admitted into New Mexico and Utah or excluded therefrom, 
great excitement was created both in Congress and among the 
people. Leading men of the South threatened a dissolution 
of the Union. It was a critical period, and at this time Clay 
again introduced into the Senate a new scheme of compromise. 
This included the admission of California as a free State; 
territorial governments for New Mexico and Utah, without any 
restriction as to slavery; a settlement of the boimdary line 
between Texas and New Mexico, nearly as it stands to-day; 
an indemnity of ten million dollars to be paid to Texas for her 



CALHOUN CLAY WEBSTER. 21 7 

claims to this part of New Mexico; the prohibition of the 
slave trade in the District of Columbia, but not the abolition 
of slavery itself in this District; and finally a more stringent 
fugitive slave law. 

This was the famous Clay Compromise of 1850. It proved 
satisfactory neither to the North nor to the South, and at the 
end of another ten years the drift of events brought the final 
collision between the slave vStates and the national government. 

Daniel Webster. The third of this illustrious trio is Daniel 
Webster. His father was one of the first pioneer settlers in 
central New Hampshire. By the strictest economy and with 
great sacrifices he succeeded in giving his son Daniel a collegiate 
education at Dartmouth. 

It is related that after Webster graduated from college, 
and when his father was judge, the father wished Daniel 
to become clerk of the court. It was a position he could 
have if he desired it. The father made known his desire to 
Daniel, but the young man did not respond. In the evening 
the elder Webster laid out the whole matter before his son, 
emphasizing the advantages that would accrue from the posi- 
tion, and finally waited for an answer. After a brief silence, 
the story goes, Daniel said to his father: " Father, I think I 
will not accept this position. I propose to make the laws, 
not to record them." 

" Well! well!" replied the old man, " your mother always 
said that you would make something or nothing, and I guess 
she was about right." 

Political Life. Webster taught school, studied law, was admit- 
ted to the bar, and was sent to Congress from New Hampshire. 
He then moved to Boston, and for most of the time during 
thirty years he represented Massachusetts at Washington either 
in the House or the Senate. He was Secretary of State iinder 



2l8 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Harrison and Tyler, and while in this jjosition he negotiated 
with Great Britain a very important treaty, fixing the bound- 
aries between the United States and the British posses- 
sions from the coast on the east of Maine through the Great 

Lakes and westward to 



the summit of the Rocky 
Moim tains. This is known 
as the Webster-Ashbur- 
ton Treaty. 

Before South Carolina 
had undertaken to nullify 
the tariff laws, Webster 
had taken a strong posi- 
tion against sectionalism 
and in favor of the Union. 
In 1830, Robert Y. 
Hayne, a senator from 
South Carolina, strenu- 
ously opposed the system 
of protective tariffs, as- 
serting that it was uncon- 
stitutional. 

The Hayne-Webster 
Debate. This led to a 
great debate between 
Hayne and Webster, 
probably the most famous discussion that ever took place 
upon the floor of the United States Senate. Hayne strongly 
opposed the existing tariff law and insisted upon the suprem- 
acy of the States, holding that each State had the right to 
nullify any act of Congress that it considered unconstitu- 
tional. 




WEBSTER REPLYING TO HAYNE IN THE 

SENATE. 



CALHOUN — CLAY — WEBSTER. 219 

Hayne was a brilliant orator, and his attack upon New 
England was extremely severe. Mr. Webster replied in a 
speech which occupied two days. This speech was considered 
a strong argument against the right of nullification, against 
State sovereignty, and in favor of the Union. Among the 
closing sentences of this famous speech are the following: 

" When my eyes shall be turned to behold for the last time 
the sun in heaven, may I not see him shining on the broken and 
dishonored fragments of a once glorious Union; on States 
dissevered, discordant, belligerent; on a land rent with civil 
feuds, or drenched, it may be, in fraternal blood. . . . But 
may I see our flag with not a stripe erased or polluted, nor a 
single star obscured; . . . but ever3rwhere, spread all over in 
characters of living light, blazing on all its ample folds as they 
float over the sea and over the land, and in every wind under 
the whole heavens, that sentiment, dear to every true American 
heart — Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and insep- 
arable ! ' ' 

The effect of this speech upon the destiny of our country has 
been very great. It was a masterly performance, and perhaps 
showed greater power in the speaker than any other address 
which he ever made. President Jackson had soon to contend 
with nullification as a fact, and, although the main question 
was not settled, the collision between the State and the 
Federal governments was postponed. 

The Dartmouth College Case. In addition to the great 
speeches made by Mr. Webster in Congress, he delivered many 
famous addresses elsewhere. His plea in the Dartmouth 
College case before the Supreme Court of the United States, as 
early as 1818, had stamped him as a great constitutional lawyer. 
A clause in the United States Constitution says that no State 
shall pass any law impairing the obligation of contracts. The 



220 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

charter of Dartmouth College, Webster argued, was in the 
nature of a contract, and the legislature of the State could not 
set aside that contract. This was Webster's argument. The 
United States Supreme Court decided that the action of the 
State legislature, which had reorganized the college and 
brought into existence a new board of trustees, was in the 
nature of impairing the obligation of a contract, and therefore 
was unconstitutional. The court therefore set aside that 
action, reaffirmed the old charter, and reinstated the old board 
of trustees. 

The effect of this decision about Dartmouth College went 
far toward limiting the idea of State sovereignty and magni- 
fying the jurisdiction of the Federal Supreme Court in the 
eyes of the people of the whole country. 

Webster as an Orator. Mr. Webster's two orations at 
Bimker Hill — the first, June 17, 1825, at the laying of the 
comer stone of the monument, and the second, June 17, 1843, at 
the dedication of the monument — are masterly efforts, and 
they alone would have placed their author in the front rank of 
modem oratv")rs. Another famous oration of Mr. Webster's was 
delivered at Plymouth, December 22, 1820, the two hundredth 
anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. It was an impres- 
sive celebration and the wonderful speech was equal to the 
occasion. 

Work of the Three Statesmen. Mr. Calhoim was a great 
statesman, who in his day advocated and represented the 
South Carolina doctrine of nullification and secession. Mr. 
Clay ranked equally high as a statesman and legislator, and his 
influence was that of a compromiser; by his compromises he 
was able to put off to a future day the conflict which, after all, 
was inevitable, and which came in the Civil War of 1861-615. 
Mr. Webster was the Unionist, and his influence was great in 



CALHOUN — CLAY — WEBSTER. 221 

making the people of the nation revere the Constitution and 
idoHze the Union. 

The Civil War swept away Calhoun's doctrine, and estab- 
lished the fact that the United States is a nation and not a 
league of States. The influence of Mr. Clay was great at the 
time his gigantic efforts were made, but their effect was only 
to postpone the evil day. The conflict between the two doc- 
trines of national supremacy and State sovereignty had to 
come. Mr. Webster threw his influence in favor of the Union 
as the greatest good, the only sure preserver of the liberties, and 
promoter of the progress of the people of this republic. The 
Union has been preserved, the national power has been 
strengthened, and the nation to-day is more prosperous, and 
perhaps has less difficulties threatening its future than during 
the active period of these three great statesmen. 

Describe Clay's Missouri Compromise; his Compromise of 1850. 
Give an account of the speeches of Hayne and Webster. 
Tell the story of Calhoun and Nullification. 
Describe the Dartmouth College Case. 

Write accounts of John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and- Daniel Web- 
ster. Give the facts as in this chapter, writing of each man separately. 

We read in this chapter of three sections of the country; which 
section did each of these three men represent? In what way would 
the Missouri Compromise please the upholders of slavery? How would 
it please the opponents of slavery? In what way did the decision in 
the Dartmouth College Case influence public opinion concerning 
" State Supremacy "? Have we any great orators to-day? 




Samuel Houston 
1793-1863 



Free and Slave States. When the treaty of peace was signed 
with Great Britain in 1783, the number of States in the Union 
was thirteen. 

When Andrew Jackson was President, fifty years later, the 
number had increased to twenty-four. The new States had 
been admitted one by one: Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, 
Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, 
Maine, and Missouri. 

Twelve of these twenty-four States were free, and in twelve 
negro slavery was permitted. The free States formed the 
northern portion of the country, and the slave States the 
southern. The botindary between them was Mason and 
Dixon's line (between Pennsylvania and Maryland ) and the 
Ohio River. West of the Mississippi River Missouri alone 
allowed slavery; but it was forbidden west and north of that 
State. 

If we look at a map of the United States as it was then 
we shall find that the free States had a large region north and 
west of them into which their people could move and form 
more States. On "the other hand, the slave States had but 



SAMUEL HOUSTON. 



223 



little western territory between them and the Spanish country 
or Mexico. 

The people in the South, if they moved west, must go 
across the border into Texas, the nearest of the Mexican 
provinces. This they did in great numbers, until the popu- 
lation in Texas was more than half made up of people from 
the United States. 

Samuel Houston. Among these settlers was Samuel Hous- 
ton. He was nearly forty 
years of age when he moved 
into Texas, intending to find 
some means by which he could 
bring that province into the 
United States. He was a na- 
tive of Virginia, but in early 
boyhood had gone to Tennes- 
see. 

Before he was of age he 
entered the army, and quickly 
rose, through the various 
grades, from the rank of 
private to that of lieutenant. 
Leaving the army, young 

Houston studied law, entered politics, was sent to Congress, 
and was chosen governor of Tennessee. 

Texan Independence. Houston had not been long in Texas 
before he began to make himself known. The new settlers 
turned to him at once as the man best fitted to lead them. 
He was elected general of the Texan army and soon urged the 
calling of a convention, which, when it met, issued a declara- 
tion of independence. 

Mexico was no more willing to lose Texas than England 




LONE STAR 
OF TEXAS. 



224 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

had been willing to permit the United States to be free and 
independent. Accordingly she began preparations to compel 
Texas to remain a Mexican province. 

A strong Mexican army imder General Santa Anna in- 
vaded Texas. The first important battle was an assault on 
the Alamo, a fort at San Antonio, Here a small body of 
Texan soldiers was attacked by a force of ten times their 
number. The siege lasted for nearly a month, until the 
Texans were all killed but six. Among the killed were David 
Crockett and General Bowie, who invented the " bowie- 
knife." The six who finally surrendered were killed by the 
Mexicans. 

"Remember the Alamo!" became the war-cry of the 
Texans in their struggle for independence. 

Finally, Houston fought a battle with Santa Anna and 
defeated him. In this engagement the Texan army num- 
bered less than half the Mexican force, but within an hour 
the Mexicans were totally routed, losing six himdred and 
thirty killed and seven himdred and thirty prisoners, including 
General Santa Anna himself. 

Annexation. The independence of Texas was now certain, 
though it was not acknowledged by Mexico. A government 
was established and Houston was elected president. The 
Republic of Texas ("The Lone Star Republic") at once 
sought admission into the Union. This was strongly opposed 
in the Congress of the United States. Finally, after waiting 
eight years, an act was passed annexing Texas ( 1 845 ) . 

Thus Texas became the twenty-eighth member of the 
Union, — Arkansas, Michigan, and Florida having been pre- 
viously admitted. Now there were fifteen slave and thirteen 
free States, but Texas was the last to be admitted with a pro- 
vision permitting slavery. 



SAMUEL HOUSTON. 



225 



War with Mexico. A dispute arose about the botindar^- 
between Texas and Mexico. A large force of the United 
States army, under General Zachary Taylor, entered the 
disputed territory and was soon met by a Mexican army, 
which had also crossed the boundary. A fight took place, and 
a war, called the War with Mexico, followed. General Taylor 



^^ 










GENERAL SCOTT BEFORE THE CITY OP MEXICO. 

won several victories in northern Mexico, and a year later 
General Winfield Scott captured the City of Mexico. 

A treaty of peace between the two countries was made 
(1848), by which Mexico yielded the boundary which Texas 
claimed ; and by this treaty also the United States purchased 
the region north of the present Mexico, between the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. This territory was called 
California and New Mexico. Out of it three States and two 



226 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Territories have since been made, besides parts of other 
States. By the addition of Texas and the Mexican cession, 
a territory larger than that of the original thirteen States was 
added to the country. 

California. Now we had a new Western region from which 
States could be made, but no slave State was ever after this 
admitted to the Union. The first part of this new country to 

ask for admission was 
California, which framed 
a constitution prohibit- 
ing slavery. This was 
but two years after the 
Mexican treaty ; then 
the province of Califor- 
nia had a very small 
population. 

California's remarka- 
ble growth was due to 
the discovery of some- 
thing which almost 
everybody desires. Co- 
lumbus sought for it when he made his first voyage ; Cabot 
thought of it when he sailed across the ocean; De Soto and 
thousands of other Spaniards made great exertions to find 
it; John Smith explored the interior of Virginia, seeking it. 
At last, when California had been bought by the United States, 
it was found in great quantities. 

Discovery of Gold. Captain Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, had 
obtained land in the Mexican province of California, and had 
built a fort where the city of Sacramento now stands. He 
needed lumber for his new plantation, and therefore sent one 
of his men, named Marshall, to build a saw-mill a few miles up 




SEARCHING FOR GOLD IN CALIFORNIA. 



SAMUEL HOUSTON. 227 

the American River. Marshall built a dam across the river, 
and a trench to carry the water from the mill back into the 
river. He noticed one day that there were shining specks lying 
at the bottom of the trench. He began to think that they 
might be gold. 

Saying nothing about what he had found, Marshall took 
the first opportunity to go down to Sutter's fort and have 
a talk with him. The two men began to examine the shining 
lumps. They found them to be heavy — so is gold. They 
were pounded into thin sheets — gold can be hammered. 
Acid would not eat them — it will eat almost everything but 
gold. The men decided that the lumps were gold and that 
they would say nothing about it. 

" Forty-niners." But the great secret could not be kept. 
The news flew. Everybody seemed to become crazy for gold. 
Business was neglected ; and all California rushed for the gold- 
fields. 

Then the news crossed the mountains and the whole coimtry 
was excited. From all the States, especially those of the 
North, men hastened to the " El Dorado." Some went by 
ship around South America ; but this was too long a route for 
many. Others went by water to the Isthmus of Panama and, 
crossing this, again took sail; but many died of sickness 
caused by the malaria of the Isthmus. The majority of the 
fortune-hunters, however, tried the overland route across the 
plams and over the mountains in emigrant trains. This was a 
terrible trip ; many perished and more turned back discouraged. 
This was in the year 1849, and consequently these pioneers 
have been called " Forty-niners." 

The gold was there, however, and vast quantities were ob- 
tained, though at great expense of money and life. Silver 
was also found in large deposits. 



228 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

But after all, though the precious metals are still mined 
in California, we can see to-day that neither gold nor silver 
makes the Pacific Coast so valuable as do her great agricultural 
products. Grain and fruit are worth more to human beings 
than all the gold and jewels in the world. 

California a Free State. California was admitted as a free 
State, because the greater part of her people were opposed, to 
slavery. The hopes of the leaders in the slave States were 
vain. Ten years later the South voted to withdraw from the 
Union and form a nation entirely composed of slave States. 
Among them was Texas. Houston was then governor. This 
maker of a State, who had spent much of his life in the effort 
to bring Texas into the United States, could not bear to have 
his beloved land leave the Union. 

He refused to secede, and was deprived of his office as 
governor. He never again entered public life, though he 
finally accepted the movement, being unwilling to oppose 
the people of his section. A year or two later he died, still 
disappointed because his State had left the Union, 

When the Civil War ended, all the seceding States were 
readmitted, and no State is to-day more loyal to the Union 
than Texas, the largest of all the States. 

Give an account of the growth of the country. 

Tell the story of Houston, as a United States soldier; as a poli- 
tician; as a Texan. 

Describe the War for Texan Independence; the War with Mexico. 
Give accounts of Marshalls discovery ; of the" Forty-niners." 
State what Houston thought of the secession of Texas. 

Why did the slavery leaders desire more Southwestern territory? 
Why did the Texans cry, " Remember the Alamo "? Why was there 
opposition to the annexation of Texas ? Was it made by the Northern 
or the Southern members of Congress, do you think? What was the 
cause of the war with Mexico? Why did California choose a free con- 
stitution? M'^hy do people desire gold t» much? 




rP^ 




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1^ 




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i 




\ 



OUR country's growth from 1845 TO 1848, 



»a9 




CHAPTER XXIX 

Marcus Whitman 

1802-1847 



Our Claims to Oregon. When we bought CaHfomia from 
Mexico we added more than one thousand miles of seacoast on 
the Pacific, but we already had six hundred miles of coast 
farther north. 

That country was called Oregon, and this is the way we 
obtained possession of it. 

Long before the year 1800, Captain Gray, of Boston, dis- 
covered the mouth of a great river, and sailed his vessel over 
the bar at its entrance and fifty or sixty miles up the river. 
Here he landed, traded with the natives, and obtained fresh 
water for his vessel. He took possession of the country in 
the name of the United States, and named the river after his 
ship, the Columbia. 

Some years later, an expedition was sent out by President 
Jefferson to explore the country, under command of Captains 
Lewis and Clark. They crossed the Rocky Mountains and 
went down the Columbia River to its mouth, where they 
passed the winter, and returned the next summer. This ex- 
ploring expedition gave us another claim to the coimtry. 

Afterward, a permanent settlement was made at Astoria, 
near the mouth of the Columbia River. This settlement was 



MARCUS WHITMAN. 



231 





j ^-v M CA N T A N A "~^ 


j°'*'>^^ 


^zs^i\n I 


7° " £G0«, 


A ^ ^- 


)^""""~T"-~- 


r-iT'—T'- 'i 



THE OLD " OREGON COUNTRY." 



made by John Jacob Astor for the purpose of carrying on the 
fur trade with Indians of that section. 

President Monroe purchased Florida from Spain, and in 
the treaty of purchase the boundary between the United 
States and the Spanish provinces was defined. Between the 
Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the line ran along 
latitude 42°. South of that 
line were the Spanish prov- 
inces, and to the country 
north of that line Spain 
yielded to us her claims. 

England, however, had 
laid claim to this territory 
and hence a dispute arose 
between us and the British 
government as to which should have the Oregon coimtry. 
Time passed on, and that question was not decided for many 
years. 

Missionaries to the Indians. Finally, American missionaries 
were sent out to the Oregon country to teach the Indians the 
Christian religion. Following in the train of the missionaries 
were many settlers. A British company bought the fur busi- 
ness which had been established at Astoria, so that many 
Canadians and other subjects of Great Britain also settled in 
that region. 

Among the American missionaries to the Indians was 
Dr. Marcus Whitman, a native of the State of New York, 
not a clergyman but a physician. With Whitman and his 
wife went Rev. Mr. Spaulding and his wife. Mrs. Whitman 
and Mrs. Spaulding were the first white women to cross the 
Rocky Mountains. 

After living there six years, Whitman became satisfied that 



232 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

the English people in the fur trade were laying plans to secure 
that territory for Great Britain and themselves. He therefore 
made a most perilous journey on horseback from Oregon to the 
city of Washington and told the President, his Cabinet, and 
members of Congress what a valuable country Oregon was, and 
urged our government not to consent to part with it. 

Then, in the spring following, he returned to Oregon with a 
large company of emigrants, who settled in the valley of the 
Columbia. Others followed in large numbers, so that the 
Americans had a majority of the people in that region. 

" The Ride for Oregon." This " ride for Oregon " by Dr. 
Whitman was a most remarkable one, and has become famous. 
He consulted with his brother missionaries at a meeting held at 
his station on the Walla Walla River, in the present State of 
Washington. They agreed that he should go East, and gave 
him letters to carry. 

Five days later he started on his long and dangerous journey 
with but a single companion. In eleven days he reached 
Fort Hall, in southeastern Idaho, having covered a distance 
of four hundred miles. 

After resting a day or two and taking a guide, he pushed 
forward, not directly east through the South Pass, because in 
that section the snows were very deep and two tribes of 
Indians were at war with each other. He therefore followed 
an old Spanish trail, southeasterly through the comer of 
Utah, across Wyoming and Colorado to Santa Fe, New 
Mexico. This route added about a thousand miles to the 
length of the journey. 

Throughout this section his sufferings were severe. It 
required a very brave man with great endurance to perform 
such a trip at that early day through that barren country, on 
horseback, in the dead of winter. He must cross wide and 



MARCUS WHITMAN. 



233 



deep rivers, in some cases by fording and sometimes by 
swimming, while his path lay over almost impassable moim- 
tains, hardly yet ever traversed by man. 

At the Grand River. When they reached the Grand River 
they found it about a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards 
wide, frozen over about one third the way across, on each side, 
and in the center a rapid, 
angry stream of deep water. 
The guide told them that it 
would be very dangerous to 
cross there. 

But Dr. Whitman was not 
the man to be stopped by any- 
thing short of an impossibility. 
He rode out on the ice to its 
edge, and, although the weath- 
er was intensely cold, he called 
upon his companions to push 
off his horse into the stream. 
They did so, and down they 
went, completely under the water, horse and rider, but soon 
came up, and, after buffeting the rapid, foaming current, 
reached the ice on the opposite shore, a long way down the 
stream. 

Whitman leaped from his horse upon the ice and soon had the 
noble animal by his side. The other men forced in the pack 
animals, followed his example, and were soon drying their 
frozen clothing by a comfortable fire. 

A Fire under Difficulties. At another time, near the head- 
waters of the Arkansas River, after traveling all day in a 
terrible storm, they reached a small river for camp. Not a stick 
of wood was anywhere to be had except on the other side of 




" THE RIDE FOR OREGON." 



234 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

the stream, which was covered with ice too thin to support a 
man erect. 

The storm cleared away, and the night bid fair to be intensely 
cold ; besides, they must have fires to prepare their food. The 
doctor took his ax in one hand and a willow stick in the other, 
laid himself upon the thin ice, and, spreading his legs and 
arms, worked himself over on his breast, boy fashion, cut his 
wood, slid it over, and returned in the same way. 

Frozen, almost starved, thoroughly worn out, he rested 
several days at Fort Taos and then at Santa Fe in New Mexico. 
He had now really got around the moimtains, and, changing 
his course to the northeast, pushed forward to Fort Bent, on 
the Arkansas River. It was late in January, but here he over- 
took a company of mountaineers and traveled with them to 
St. Louis. 

Whitman in Washington. From there he pushed on to 
Washington, which place he reached the 3d of March, 1843. 
John Tyler was President and Daniel Webster was Secretary of 
State. He told them what a valuable cotmtry the Oregon 
region was. The doctor also had interviews with senators and 
members of the House of Representatives, and then hastened 
to Boston. 

The Emigrants. From Boston he hurried westward and met 
the emigrants, who had gathered in large numbers near West- 
port, Missouri. As soon as the grass was sufficiently grown, one 
party started. A week later the second section moved, the third 
a week later still, and the fourth division ten days after that. 

These four bands, during the summer, successfully crossed 
the great western plains, pushed up the valley of the Platte 
River, the North Platte, and the Sweetwater, through the 
South Pass and so on past Fort Hall, Boise City, and over 
the Blue Moimtains to the Columbia. This great company 



MARCUS WHITMAN. 



235 



numbered more than eight hundred men, women, and 
children, with two htmdred emigrant wagons, and fifteen 
himdred head of cattle. 

On reaching Oregon they spread themselves out principally 
in the valley of the Willamette River. Just as the war with 
Mexico was begun (1846), we made a treaty with Great 
Britain by which she relin- 
quished to us her claims 
south of latitude 49°, and 
we yielded to her the whole 
region north of that line. 

Indian Massacre. It is 
painful to be obliged to add 
that Dr. Whitman, his wife, 
and eleven others were mas- 
sacred by the Indians (in 
1847 )> 3-t his station on the 
Walla Walla River. Whit- 
man was a man of great en- 
durance, courageous beyond 
measure, with a noble soul, 
filled with the loftiest pa- 
triotism. The American 
people should cherish and 
honor the memory of Marcus 
Whitman as one of our great- 
est and most heroic patriots. 

Oregon To-day. For fifty years that great section has been 
rapidly filling up with industrious and enterprising citizens 
from the older States, until now it contains more than a million 
inhabitants and has become noted for its rich soil and healthful 
climate, which make it one of the finest regions in the whole 




THE WESTERN SETTLER S FIRST HOME. 



236 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

country. It raises great quantities of wheat, rye, potatoes, and 
hay, has valuable minerals, and is capable of supplying the 
world with the best of lumber, of which it has an exhaustless 
quantity. 

Thus we see how, largely through the patriotism, intre- 
pidity, and energy of one man, it has happened that three 
States — Washington, Oregon, and Idaho — were added to our 
Union, three stars to our flag, and six members to the Ameri- 
can Senate. 

Explain each of the claims that the United States had to Oregon. 

State the reasons for Whitman's eastward journey. 

Give some account of that journey. 

Give an account of the return trip. 

State what the journey did for the United States. 

Who discovered Oregon? Who explored Oregon? Who first set- 
tled Oregon? Who yielded to the United States her claims to Oregon? 
Who finally signed a treaty by which the United States fully received 
Oregon? Whitman went to Washington to tell the President how 
valuable Oregon was; why did not the President know this? 




CHAPTER XXX 

,./.., ,._ Samuel F. B. Morse 

'/y>'^\ SAMUEL F B MORSE [ 

I79I-I872 

Samuel F. B. Morse. Few inventions have proved of greater 
use or made greater changes in the Hfe of man than the inven- 
tion of the magnetic telegraph. It was almost wholly due to 
the genius and skill of Professor Samuel F. B. Morse. He not 
only invented the instrument, but also planned all the details 
and put it into practical operation. 

Professor Morse was the son of the distinguished geographer, 
Rev. Jedediah Morse, D.D., of Charlestown, Massachusetts. 
Like the inventor of the steamboat, he became a portrait 
painter. Like Fulton also, he went to England to study his 
profession. He worked with the famous Washington 
Allston. 

A Conversation with George III. While there, one day 
Allston took Morse to the studio of Fulton's friend, the great 
painter, Benjamin West. Morse was examining a portrait 
of King George IH, when West said, " That is a portrait of the 
king." " So I observe," replied Morse; " did he sit here for 
it? " " Yes, " said the painter; " and let me tell you a Httle 
incident. One day, while he was sitting for me, a box was 



238 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

handed to him, which contained the American Declaration of 
Independence." 

" And what did the king say? " asked Morse. 

" What he said," repHed West, " was creditable to his 
heart. When he saw what the document was, knowing that. 
I was an American, he looked up at me and said, ' Well, if 
the Americans can be happier imder their own government 
than -under mine, I am happy.' " 

A Suggestion. Morse a few years later was crossing the 
Atlantic in a packet ship, when, in the early part of the voyage, 
at the dinner table frequent discussions arose in regard to 
electro-magnetism. Dr. Jackson, of Boston, spoke one day of 
the length of wire in the coil of a magnet. Some one asked the 
question whether the passage of electricity through the wire 
was hindered by its length. Jackson replied that it was not. 
He said that electricity passed instantaneously over any 
known length of wire. 

At this point Professor Morse made this remark: " If the 
presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the 
circuit, I see no reason why intelligence may not be trans- 
mitted instantaneously by electricity." 

The conversation between others went on, but that one 
new idea had taken full possession of Professor Morse's whole 
being. He reviewed in his mind the experiments of his boy- 
hood, his college studies in electricity, his frequent talks with 
Professor Dana and Professor Renwick. He withdrew from 
the table and went on deck. The idea followed him through 
the whole journey. 

The Telegraph. Professor Morse was already an inventor. 
He had secured many patents in the United States. He was a 
man of industry, patience, and faith. He was forty years of 
age. The magnetic telegraph he must invent. 



SAMUEL F. B. MORSE. 239 

" If it will go ten miles without stopping," he said, " I can 
make it go arotmd the globe." 

He made the magnet. He fashioned the armature. He 
applied the lever. He attached the wires to the battery. By- 
making the electricity flow and then by stopping it, the arma- 
ture was drawn up and dropped. The instrument was made. 
Success attended its working. 

He next set himself to invent an alphabet, consisting of 
long and short marks. That alphabet is now in almost uni- 
versal use with the telegraph the world over. 

The invention was complete, but many years must pass 
before it could be put into successful operation. Morse con- 
tinued his studies of the subject, constantly experimenting, 
until he had spent all his money and was really penniless. 
It was the old story of genius contending with poverty. At 
one time he had a little room in a down-town building in the 
city of New York, owned by his brothers, where he lived and 
worked and ate and slept. On one side of the room was his 
turning lathe and bench, and on the other side a little cot. 
He lived on crackers and the simplest food, which, with the 
tea prepared by himself, sustained his life, while he toiled 
night and day to perfect the instrument which he had 
invented. 

Congress Makes an Appropriation. Finally the decisive day 
came. It was the third day of March, 1843. (This was the 
very day that Whitman reached Washington. ) At midnight 
Congress would adjourn. A bill was before the Senate for an 
appropriation of $30,000 to put in operation a telegraph line 
between Washington and Baltimore, a distance of forty miles. 
The bill had passed the House. It was now near midnight. 
Morse was still waiting in the Senate Chamber. His friends 
told him it was impossible for the bill to be reached. Morse 



240 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



himself said afterward: " This was the turning point in the 
history of the telegraph. My personal funds were reduced to 
the fraction of a dollar, and, had the passage of the bill failed 
from any cause, there would have been little prospect of 
another attempt on my part to introduce to the world my new 
invention." 

His friends assured him that it was useless to remain in 

the Senate Chamber. The 
bill could not possibly be 
reached. He left the Capi- 
tol and retired to his room at 
the hotel, wellnigh broken- 
hearted. 

As he came down to break- 
fast the next morning, Miss 
Annie G. Ellsworth, daughter 
of his friend, the commis- 
sioner of patents, met him with 
a smile upon her face and 
exclaimed, "I have come to 
congratulate you. Professor 
Morse." "For what?" said 
Morse; " you had better com- 
miserate me." " Oh, no," she 
replied; " congratulate you." " For what, pray?" " On the 
passage of your bill. My father told me that in the last 
moment of the session the bill was passed without debate 
or division." Morse promised her that she should dictate the 
first message to be sent over the first line of telegraph that 
was opened. 

The First Message. When the line was completed and 
everything was ready, Professor Morse sent a note to Miss 




MORSE S FIRST NEWS OF HIS 
SUCCESS. 



SAMUEL F. B. MORSE. 24I 

Ellsworth, saying: " Everything is ready, and I am prepared 
to fulfill my promise that you should dictate the first dispatch 
over the wires." An answer was immediately returned, and 
the words which it contained — 

" What hath God wrought "— 

were the first words ever sent by electric telegraph from one 
city to another. Professor Morse afterward said of this mes- 
sage, " It baptized the American telegraph with the name of 
its author." Morse was at Washington; his friend, Mr. 
Alfred Vail, at Baltimore. Morse caused the instrument to 
tick out the words as given above. Vail received the message 
and repeated it back again. Then Morse over the wire said, 
" Stop a few minutes." Vail replied, " Yes." 

" Have you any news?" " No." " Mr. Seaton's respects 
to you." "My respects to him." "What is your time?" 
" Nine o'clock, twenty -eight minutes." " What weather have 
vou?" "Cloudy." "Separate your words more." "Oil 
your clockwork." 

Its Value Demonstrated. The first message was sent May 24, 
1844. Two days afterward the National Democratic Con- 
vention assembled in Baltimore to nominate candidates for 
President and Vice-President. The convention nominated 
James K. Polk for President. It then nominated Silas Wright 
for Vice-President. 

Mr. Wright was at that time in the Senate. His nomina- 
tion was telegraphed at once by Mr. Vail at Baltimore to 
Professor Morse in the old Senate Chamber in the Capitol at 
Washington. In a few moments the convention was sur- 
prised by receiving a message from Mr. Wright, in which he 
declined the nomination. The president of the convention 
read the dispatch, but it was not believed. The friends of 



242 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Mr. Wright said it was a trick by his enemies to make them 
nominate some one else. The convention adjourned, after 
choosing a committee to go to Washington and get Mr. Wright's 
answer in person. The committee returned the next morning 
and reported that the telegraph had brought the answer 
correctly from Mr. Wright. 

A Successful Advertisement. No better advertisement of 
the invention could possibly have been planned. Here were 
leading men from every State in the Union. They were 
thoroughly convinced of the usefulness of the telegraph. 

On their return to their homes they all talked about it, so 
that the fact of the successful operation of the electric tele- 
graph was thoroughly understood at once all over the United 
States. 

A Great Success. So the American electro-magnetic tele- 
graph was perfected and put into successful operation. Its 
use has rapidly increased, until to-day there is a telegraph 
station in almost every hamlet of the whole coiintry, and 
indeed in the civilized world. 

In the United States alone we have more than a million miles 
of telegraphic wire in operation, with about twenty-five thou- 
sand offices, sending annually nearly one hundred million mes- 
sages and receiving for the same more than thirty million 
dollars. Besides these telegraph lines upon the land, the world 
is now well supplied with ocean cables, with the wires laid at 
the bottom of the sea. Within forty years past these cables 
have increased, until we have now in the world something 
over one hundred thousand miles of cable lines under water. 

The Ocean Cable. The history of the ocean telegraph would 
be of great interest if we had time to consider it. Through the 
efforts of Mr. Cyrus W. Field and others, the first cable across 
the Atlantic was laid (in 1858), and within the next two 



SAMUEL F. B. MORSE. 



243 

Then the 



weeks about four hundred messages were sent 
signals became unintelHgible. 

In 1866 the second Atlantic cable was successfully laid. 
The wire for this cable was twenty-three hundred miles in 
length and weighed more than four thousand tons. It was 
carried upon the steamship Great Eastern. But the story of 




LAYING AN OCliAN CABLE. 



ocean telegraph cables is too long to be told here. You must 
find these accotmts in other books, and it is hoped that you 
will read them with more interest because of the story which 
has now been given you. A few years ago an incident was 
recorded that shows something of the greatness of the 
telegraph. In Jtme, 1897, a great celebration took place in 
London, in honor of the sixty years that Queen Victoria had 



244 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

been upon the British throne. The Queen rode in a procession 
through streets packed with milHons of people. Just as she 
left the palace she pressed an electric button. Instantly this 
message was sent to her colonies all over the world : 

" From my heart I thank my beloved people. May God 
bless them. Victoria, R. I." 

To forty different points in her empire sped the electric 
message. In sixteen minutes a reply came from Ottawa in 
Canada; then one by one the answers came in from more 
remote provinces; until, before the Queen reached London 
Bridge, the Cape of Good Hope, the Gold Coast of Africa, and 
the great continent of Australia had sent responses to her 
message. 

We should pay great honor to Professor Morse and Cyrus 
W. Field for their heroic efforts and the perseverance by 
which they have given to the world the American telegraph 
and the ocean cables. 

Give the circumstances which turned Morse's thoughts to the in- 
vention of the telegraph. 

Give an account of the difficulties which Morse met; of the bill 
in the United States Senate. 

Tell the story of the first message; of the political convention. 

Give an account of the ocean cable. 

Tell the story about the Queen's message. 

What did the painter West mean by stating that what George III 
said " was creditable to his heart "? Professor Morse, at the dinner- 
table, used the words " be made visible "; why did he not say " be 
seen"? Why did Morse need an alphabet? Why are most inventors 
poor? Why do telegraph wires most often run by the side of the rail- 
roads? What did the Queen mean when she wrote her name " Vic- 
toria, R. I." ? 




CHAPTER XXXI 

Abraham Lincoln 
I 809- I 865 



The Great West. It is related that Horace Greeley once 
advised a friend: " Go West, young man, go West, and grow 
up with the country." 

By this remark he meant that there were then more oppor- 
tunities for a young man to rise in the world, to make a name 
for himself, in the West, than if he stayed in the more thickly 
settled portions of the East. 

The history of the United States gives ^us the stories of 
many yoimg men who have shown that, in their cases at least, 
Greeley's advice was good. 

The West has gradually moved farther and farther west, 
as the Eastern country has become more and more closely 
settled. A hundred years ago the New West was just over 
the Alleghany Mountains; now even the Rocky Mountains 
and the Pacific Coast are almost too old to be called the New 
West. 

The Lincolns. The first western movement of our American 
people was, of course, across the Atlantic Ocean to these shores, 
and among the earliest Puritan emigrants was one Samuel Lin- 
coln, who settled in the new country about Boston. 

Samuel Lincoln's grandson, Mordecai, moved west to 

«4S 



246 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




THE CABIN WHERE LINCOLN WAS BORN. 



New Jersey, and thence to Pennsylvania when that colony 
was young. Mordecai Lincoln's son John continued the 
western journey — southwest, it was — and made a home in 
western Virginia. John Lincoln's son Abraham was one of 
the early pioneers in the territory of Kentucky, where he 
was killed by the Indians. One of his sons, Thomas Lincoln, 

continued the migration 
after the birth of his son 
Abraham, and moved 
northwest into Indiana, 
and finally into Illinois. 

In this State Abraham 
Lincoln, who was des- 
tined to be one of the 
greatest of our Presi- 
dents, spent his manhood. 
Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was bom in Kentucky 
early in the nineteenth century. His father, who had lived all 
his boyhood in that new region and had met with many of the 
trials and hardships of rude frontier life, was very poor and 
had almost no school education. His mother, whose family 
also had come to Kentucky many years before, had no prop- 
erty, but she had received more schooling than her husband 
had. 

Their home was the ordinary one of a poor Western settler, 
a log cabin of one room. It had one door and a great log 
chimney outside of the house. To such a rude, imcomfortable 
life was Abraham Lincoln bom. 

The boy could have had but little remembrance of his 
Kentucky life, for he was still young when his father moved 
into Indiana. After the arrival of the family, the new house 
was built in the midst of a dense forest. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 247 

Pioneer Life. Even the seven-year-old boy Abraham used 
an ax to aid in making a clearing. The cabin was ruder than 
the home which they had left in Kentucky. It contained no 
furniture except of home make; its chairs were boards into 
which logs were fitted ; its bedsteads were made of two upright 
posts with cross poles running from these and inserted into the 
walls of the cabin. The boy's bed was of dry leaves in the loft. 

Plenty of food could be easily obtained, but it was mainly 
that of camp life. Game and fish they had in great abun- 
dance, but com and wheat were scarce. Potatoes were 
almost the only vegetable raised. Food was cooked in a 
very simple and rude manner; the new settlers had few cook- 
ing-vessels, and grocery stores were far away. 

Soap and candles were always made at home, and clothing 
was never purchased. All cotton clothes had to be made 
from the raw material; the cotton must be raised, picked, 
spun, and woven by the women of the home. Often deer- 
skin trousers, coonskin caps, and home-made moccasins 
formed part of the boy's attire. 

Young Abraham grew up a strong boy; he continued to 
wield the ax; he entered into all the work on the farm. 
He plowed the ground, he harrowed the soil, he mowed the 
grain, he threshed the wheat, he carried the grist to mill. 
He hired out to the neighbors to do anything that was needed, 
the pay going to his father. Not until he was eighteen did 
he earn any money for himself. 

Lincoln's First Dollar. " After much persuasion," as 
President Lincoln later told the story, " I had got the consent 
of my mother and had constructed a flatboat. A steamer was 
going down the river. We had, you know, no wharves on the 
Western streams, and the custom was, if passengers were at 
any of the landings, they were to go out in a boat, the steamer 



24^ FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

stopping and taking them on board. I was on my new boat 
when two men with trunks came down to the shore, and, look- 
ing at the different boats, singled out mine and asked : 

" ' Who owns this boat? ' 

" I answered modestly, ' I do.' 

" ' Will you take us and our trunks out to the steamer? ' 

" ' Certainly,' said I. I was very glad to have the chance 
of earning something and supposed that each of them would 
give me a couple of bits. The trunks were put in my boat, 
the passengers seated themselves upon them, and I sculled 
them out to the steamer. They got on board, and I lifted 
the trunks and put them on the deck. The steamer was 
about to put on steam again, when I called out: 

" ' You have forgotten to pay me.' 

" Each of them took from his pocket a silver half-dollar 
and threw it on the bottom of the boat. I could scarcely 
believe my eyes as I picked up the money. I could scarcely 
credit that I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a 
day; that by honest work I had earned a dollar. I was a 
more hopeful and thoughtful boy from that time." 

His Struggles for an Education. During all his boyhood 
Abraham strove for an education. He obtained little from 
schools, for he was not able to go to school more than a year in 
all. But he did read ; he read everything that he could obtain. 
He not only read the books, but came to know them through 
and through. Very few books belonged to the family, but 
Abraham borrowed from his neighbors. One of these books, 
Weems's " Life of Washington," tmforttmately got wet and 
soiled. It required three days' labor to make good the loss, 
but after that the injured book belonged to the studious boy. 

Lincoln once said that he had " read through every book 
he had ever heard of in that country for a circuit of fifty 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



249 



miles." He would read and cipher after his day's work was 
done; he would often be found stretched out on the floor, 
reading by the light of the fire; he found time for reading 
when plowing, as his horse must be allowed to rest at the 
end of the furrows. Every newspaper that came to the village 
somehow foimd its way into his hand. 




YOUNG LINCOLN STUDYING BY FIRELIGHT. 



Early Manhood. Time passed on and Abraham grew to 
manhood. His father moved to Illinois, carrying his goods 
and those of two other families in a wagon drawn by four oxen. 
Abraham drove the team and took the opportunity to do a 
little trading business of his own. Before leaving Indiana he 
spent all his money, about thirty dollars, for notions, — pins, 



250 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

needles, thread, buttons, knives, forks, and other needful 
household articles. These he peddled at the houses along the 
road, selling them all before he reached the end of his journey, 
and doubling his money by the little business operation. 

Wishing to be more among people, young Lincoln became 
a clerk in a store. Here his natural talent for speechmaking 
was much used, until one day he had an open debate with a 
candidate for office, and was congratulated by his opponent 
for his clever speech. This roused the young man's ambi- 
tion still further, and he began, as he said, to study " sub- 
jects." By the advice of the schoolmaster of the place he 
sought a grammar. Hearing of a copy six miles away, he 
walked to the place and borrowed it. 

After that he spent many evenings at a cooper's shop, 
studying by the light of the fire of shavings. He recited 
from the book, he obtained help from the schoolmaster, and 
finally he said, " If that is what they call a science, I think 
I'll go another." 

Runs for the Legislature. Lincoln was very popular among 
his neighbors, and though but a poor, unschooled cotintry boy, 
he ran for the State Legislature from his county when but 
twenty-three years of age. The Black Hawk Indian War 
broke out just at this time, and Lincoln served through the 
war as a captain. When he returned, it lacked but a few 
days of election. Lincoln was defeated, as the county gave a 
majority for the candidate of the other party; in his own 
neighborhood, however, where he was best known, he received 
two hundred and seventy-seven votes out of two hundred and 
ninety cast for representative. 

Studies Law. Lincoln next bought a store, which he kept 
for a few years ; he became postmaster ; he learned surveying 
and was appointed deputy surveyor of the coimty. While in 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 25I 

his store he bought a barrel of odds and ends of a man who 
was moving farther west, and who wished to make his load a 
little lighter. In this barrel Lincoln found a set of law books, 
called Blackstone's " Commentaries." 

" I began to read these famous works," said he afterward, 
" and I had plenty of time. The more I read, the more 
intensely interested I became, I read them until I devoured 
them." Lincoln was now started on the road to be a 
lawyer. 

Eleven years after Lincoln's defeat for the Legislature he 
was again a candidate, was elected, and then served as a rep- 
resentative for eight years. While in the Assembly he com- 
pleted the study of law and was admitted to the bar. 

Declining another reelection, Lincoln devoted himself to 
the practice of law until he was sent to the House of Repre- 
sentatives at Washington for two years. Returning to Illinois, 
he became a leader in the new Republican party, which was 
formed to oppose the further extension of slavery. 

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. Lincoln was little known 
outside of his State until he became a candidate for the 
United States Senate. His Democratic opponent was Stephen 
A. Douglas, and these two men spoke daily from the same 
platforms ; they kept up a long debate, day after day, as they 
traveled over the State. Douglas desired to quiet the rising 
quarrel over the slavery question by leaving all discussion of 
it to the individual States and Territories. Lincoln hated 
slavery, and believed that it must not spread into any more 
States. He stated his idea in this way: 

" A house divided against itself cannot stand, I believe 
this government cannot endure permanently half slave and 
half free," 

Douglas, however, was chosen senator; but, two years 



252 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



later (i860), Lincoln was elected President of the United 
States. 

Slavery. For many years the people of the North, where 
there were no slaves, and the people of the South, who held 
slaves, had become more and more alienated from each other. 

The people of the North had very generally come to believe 
in a strong national government. The people of the South 
were in favor of " State rights," making the separate States 

superior to the Union. 

The people of the North 
thought that slavery was 
wrong; the people of the 
South had become more 
and more attached to their 
" peculiar institution," as 
slave-holding was called. 
Many people in the North 
felt strongly that slavery 
should be restricted to the 
States where it then ex- 
isted. The people of the 
South, on the contrary, held that the entire Western territory 
should be open to them and their slaves. 

Lincoln was elected President by the Republican party, 
which had declared against any further extension of slavery. 
For ten years the number of free States had been greater 
than that of slave States, and the slavery leaders saw that 
they could not obtain what they sought. 

The Southern States Secede. They, therefore, now deter- 
mined to withdraw their States from the Union and set up a 
government of their own. Lincoln was inaugurated President 
March 4, 1861, but before that date seven States had seceded 




FORT SUMTER. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



253 



and formed a new government called the " Confederate States 
of America." This government was begim at Montgomery, 
Alabama; but, when four more States had joined them, 
Richmond, Virginia, was made the capital of the Confederacy. 

Fort Sumter. In April a Confederate force opened fire 
upon Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, which was held by 
United States troops. The next 
day Major Anderson and his small 
force surrendered. 

War was thus commenced. At 
the North the excitement was in- 
tense. At the South the enthusi- 
asm was equally great. President 
Lincoln called for seventy-five 
thousand volunteer soldiers. Jef- 
ferson Davis, president of the 
Confederate States, issued his proc- 
lamation for troops. The Civil 
War followed: a war to determine 
whether the United States should 
be supreme and indivisible, or 

whether each State might be superior to the Union and at 
liberty to withdraw from it. 

Civil War. A terrible strife had begun ; a civil war — the 
worst form of war in w^hich men can engage; a war in which 
the soldiers facing each other belong to one and the same 
country; a war in which friends fight against friends, and 
often brothers against brothers. We will not here follow the 
course of events in this war. They will be treated in following 
chapters. 

Is it possible for us to form any adequate idea of the burden 
which Abraham Lincoln carried through those four long years ? 




JEFFERSON DAVIS, PRESIDENT OF 
THE CONFEDERACY. 



254 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Lincoln's Statesmanship. What broad statesmanship was 
required ; what clear vision was needed ; what accurate judg- 
ment ; what even temper ; what tender feelings of mercy ; what 
love for his fellow-men, for all humanity; what respect and 
deference to the conflicting views of the great statesmen and 
business men of the country; what tact, what skill, what 
readiness in emergencies ; what clear insight ; what breadth of 
outlook. Indeed, it is impossible to appreciate the various 
requirements necessary in the leader of a great people, the 
executive of a great nation, the commander-in-chief of the 
armies which included a million of men and more, in carrying 
forward to a successful conclusion a war of more gigantic 
proportions than the modem world has elsewhere seen. 

But Lincoln was equal to this task. " With malice toward 
none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God 
gives us to see the right," the man of a sad face performed 
his great task with nobleness of purpose, with singleness of 
heart, and with complete success. 

Gettysburg Speech. A few months after the battle of 
Gettysburg, President Lincoln made a short speech at the 
dedication of the national cemetery at that place. He closed 
this famous address with this sentence, which is well worthy 
to be studied by every boy and girl, by every man and woman, 
in the country: 

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task re- 
maining before us — that we here highly resolve that these dead 
shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall 
have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, 
by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." 

When the war ended, " government by the people " was 
firmly established; " a new birth of freedom" had come to 
the United States. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



255 



Castelar's Tribute. At the murder of Lincoln the whole 
world mourned. Tributes were everywhere paid to his great 
worth. Among them were the burning words uttered in the 
Spanish Cortes by that great 
statesman, Emilio Castelar. 
The closing paragraph of his 
speech reads as follows: 

" I have often contem- 
plated and described Abra- 
ham Lincoln's life. Bom in 
a cabin in Kentucky, of par- 
ents who could hardly read, 
bom a new Moses in the soli- 
tude of the desert where are 
forged great and obstinate 
thoughts, monotonous like 
the desert, and like the des- 
ert, sublime ; growing up 
among those primeval forests, 
which with their fragrance 
send a cloud of incense, and 
with their murmurs a cloud 
of prayers to heaven; boat- 
man at eight years, on the 
impetuous current of the 
Ohio; and at seventeen, on 
the vast and tranquil waters 

of the Mississippi, ... he was raised by the nation to the 
presidency of the Republic. 

" The wood-cutter, the boatman, the son of the great West, 
the descendant of Quakers, humblest of the humble before 
his conscience, greatest of the great in history, ascends the 




STATUE OF LINCOLN FREEING THE 
SLAVE. 



256 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Capitol, strong and serene with his conscience and his thought: 
before him a veteran army, hostile Europe behind him, 
England favoring the South, France encouraging reaction in 
Mexico, in his hands the riven cotmtry ; he arms two millions of 
men, gathers a half -million horses, sends his artillery twelve 
hundred miles in a week, from the banks of the Potomac to the 
shores of the Tennessee, fights more than six hundred battles, 
renews before Richmond the deeds of Alexander and of Caesar ; 
and, after having emancipated three million slaves, that 
nothing might be wanting, he dies in the moment of victory, 
like Christ, like Socrates, like all redeemers, at the foot of his 
work. His work! sublime achievement, over which humanity 
shall etemaUy shed its tears, and God bestow His benediction." 

Describe the route by which the Lincoln family gradually moved 
fro'm England to Illinois. 

Give an account of young Lincoln's homes and his work as a boy. 
Tell his story about the first money that he earned for himself. 
State how Abraham educated himself. 
Give some account of Lincoln's public life. 
State what separated the North from the South. 

Is Greeley's advice good to-day? Why did Abraham grow up " a 
strong boy "? What did he intend to do with his flatboat? Why did 
he have so little schooling? Do you suppose he obtained as much 
from his few books as you do from your many? What two " subjects '' 
did Abraham teach himself? How was the United States a " house 
divided against itself"? Why did the Southern States leave the 
Union? Why was Northern excitement and Southern enthusiasm so 
great after the firing upon Fort Sumter? 




Robert E. Lee 

1807-1870 



The Confederate States of America. After Mr. Lincoln was 
elected President, and before his inauguration, seven States 
in the extreme South, as we have already seen, seceded and 
formed a new government, called the " Confederate States of 
America." Later, four more States seceded and joined this 
Confederacy. 

Eleven States, therefore, all located in the South, all being 
slave States, had undertaken to withdraw from the Union and 
set up a government of their own. The capture of Fort Sumter, 
a national fort, by South Carolina troops was the act which 
began the war and occasioned the forming of two great armies, 
— the army of the Republic to maintain the unity of the 
nation, to preserve the Union, and the army of the Confed- 
eracy to uphold the new government in the South. 

Union Generals. Then four years of war, embracing great 
military movements, added many names to the world's list of 
distinguished soldiers. As the war progressed one man after 
another came to the front, until before the close of the contest 
the Union army had developed such men as General U. S. 
Grant, who finally received the surrender of General Lee and 



258 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



BUTT ERNUT 
OR V'ELUOVA/ISH BRO\A/N 



put an end to the war; General William T. Sherman, who 
plowed such a mighty furrow from Atlanta to the sea, 
through the middle of the Confederacy; General Phil. H. 
Sheridan, the hero of Winchester; General George B. Mc- 
Clellan, who fought the battles of the Peninsula ; General A E. 

Bumside, the popular com- 
mander of the Army of the 
Potomac, who was defeated at 
Fredericksburg; " Fighting 
Joe Hooker," who lost at 
Chancellorsville ; General 

George G. Meade, who won 
the decisive battle of Gettys- 
burg; Generals George H, 
Thomas and W. S. Rosecrans, 
of Chickamauga fame; Gen- 
eral Winfield S. Hancock; 
General John A. Logan, and 
many other generals whose 
names are worthy to be added 
to this list. 

Confederate Commanders. 
The Confederate army, too, brought out no less military genius 
and ability in their principal commanders. Many of the officers 
in the regular army who had been educated in the Military 
Academy at West Point were from the South and sided with 
the States to which they belonged. As early as August, 1861, 
the Confederate Congress created five full generals of the 
Confederate army. These were Samuel Cooper, Albert Sydney 
Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, and P. G. T. 
Beauregard. 

Besides these distinguished officers on the Confederate side, 




M I 1.1x1 A 



REGULAR. 



CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS. 



ROBERT E. LEE. 



259 



t NNSYLVAIMIA 



were General Edmund Kirby Smith, who had command 
beyond the Mississippi River; General James Longstreet, one 
of Lee's ablest assistants; General T. J. (" Stonewall " ) Jack- 
son, a conscientious, able, bold leader; General J. E. B. Stuart, 
of cavalry fame; General A. P. Hill, General Leonidas Polk, 
and many others who were 
justly celebrated as mili- 
tary leaders. 

Robert E. Lee. Before 
one year of the war had 
passed General Lee was 
ordered to Richmond and 
assigned to duty ' ' under the 
direction of the president, 
charged with the conduct 
of military operations in the 
armies of the Confederacy." 
General Lee for more than 
three years led the armies 
of the South in that terrible 
war, and was without 
doubt the greatest general 
of the Southern army, and 
one of the greatest ever 
produced in America. 

He was the son of that 
famous hero of the Revolution, General Henry Lee, known 
everywhere as " Light-horse Harry." He was educated at the 
Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated almost 
at the head of his class at the age of twenty- two. He served 
in the Mexican War and subsequently was in command of the 
Academy at West Point. 




MAP OF EASTERN 
AND VICINITY. 



26o 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



The " Monitor " and the " Merrimac." In the middle of the 
first summer of the war came the battle of Bull Run, where 
the Confederates were victorious. In March, 1862, the Union 
ironclad Monitor fought the Confederate ironclad Merrimac. 
Both vessels were novelties, and excited great fear and wonder. 
The Merrimac, sheathed in iron armor, steamed up to the 
Union wooden war-vessels in Hampton Roads and began to 
destroy them. It sunk one and ran another aground and 
burned it. The next morning, as the Merrimac again started 

out of Norfolk harbor 
to finish her task, there 
suddenly appeared the 
new Monitor, which the 
soldiers said looked like 
" a cheese-box on a 
raft." It drove off the 
Confederate ironclad 
and gave a decisive turn 
to the naval operations 
of the war, and, indeed, 
began a change in all 
naval warfare through- 
out the world. 

Peninsular Campaign. 
During the spring and 
summer following this 
naval battle, came the 
fiercely fought Penin- 
sular Campaign. Mc- 
Clellan commanded the Union forces, and Lee the Confederate 
army. Lee was repulsed at Malvern Hill and McClellan swung 
his army safely over to the James River. But Lee so ably 




GENERAL LEE AND GENERAL JACKSON S 
COUNCIL OF WAR AT CHANCELLORSVILLE. 



ROBERT E. LEE. 261 

Opposed his adversary that the Union army could not success- 
fully operate against Richmond from that point and was 
finally withdrawn from the Peninsula, to the joy of the South 
and the disgust of the North. 

Time would fail to tell of Pope's campaign, where Lee 
was victorious; of South Mountain and Antietam, where he 
was defeated, all in the summer of 1862; of how, in Decem- 
ber, he inflicted terrible disaster upon Bumside at Fredericks- 
burg, and in the next May upon General Hooker at Chancel- 
lors ville, which was perhaps the most severe defeat the Union 
forces experienced. 

Lee Invades the North. After this, Lee determined to invade 
the North. In June, 1863, he pushed his army of about eighty 
thousand men across Maryland and into Pennsylvania. This 
was a bold proceeding. Lee was obliged to leave his base of 
supplies and invade the enemy's country. His design evidently 
was to capture Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, and 
then move on Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington. 

The Union army, still under General Hooker, also started 
across Maryland, keeping between the Confederate army and 
the capital. Hooker resigned his command during the march, 
and General Meade was immediately appointed to take his 
place. Lee crossed into Pennsylvania and marched his army 
through the hill-country eastward toward the town of Get- 
tysburg The advance of the Union army met Lee's forces 
on the lot of July, just outside of this town. On the first 
three days of July occurred the great battle of Gettysburg. 

Gettysburg. The first day's fight was really only a reconnois- 
sance, and the Confederates had the advantage. During the 
next two days the Union forces occupied the ground from 
Culp's Hill past the cemetery, along the line of Cemetery Ridge 
to Round Top. This formed a line of battle shaped like a 



262 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




ROBERT E, LEE. 



263 



fish-hook, the crooked end being at Gulp's Hill and the long 
end of the hook at Round Top. 

Lee made three attempts to break the Union lines: first, 
on the right of that line at Gulp's Hill; again, on its left near 
Roimd Top; and, finally, on the 
third day, near its center, where 
Pickett's charge met its bloody re- 
pulse. Each time he was unsuc- 
cessful, and finally was obliged to 
withdraw his forces and retreat 
across the Potomac. 

Lee as a Citizen. The remain- 
der of the war will be considered 
in the next chapter. It only 
remains for us here to note the 
life of Lee after the war was closed. 
He at once withdrew from public 
affairs, not in moody gloom or with 
vexed spirit; but like a great man 
acting under a firm conviction of 
duty, he betook himself to the work 
of a private citizen. He accepted 

the results of the war, and used all his influence to restore 
friendly relations between the two sections. 

He was made president of Washington Gollege in Virginia, 
afterward re-named Washington and Lee University, and there 
he passed the remainder of his life, holding the greatest 
respect and love of all, in his faithful and successful work of 
educating yoimg men. He died on the 12th of October, 1870, 
in his sixty-fourth year. 




CONFEDERATE FLAGS. 



264 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Tell what you can of the life of General Lee previous to the Civil 
War. 

Give some account of McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. 
Describe the battle of Gettysburg. 

Why did the capture of Fort Sumter begin the war? What pre- 
vious war-experience had some of the generals of the Civil War had? 
Why was the Monitor called a " cheese-box on a raft "? Why did Lee 
attempt to invade the North? Do you think it was a wise plan? Give 
your reasons. What did Lee do after the war? 




THE STATUE OF LEE AT RICHMOND. 







ULYSSES S SRANT | V-^ 



CHAPTER XXXni 

Ulysses S. Grant 
1822-1885 



Grant's Early Manhood. The Civil War brought to the front 
on both sides many great men, who only needed an opportunity 
to show to the world the strength of their minds or the bril- 
liancy of their talents. General Grant is a conspicuous ex- 
ample. A man's surroundings and opportunities have much 
to do with the reputation which he is enabled to make. 

When the war broke out, Grant was in the full strength of 
his manhood, being then thirty -nine years old. He was a 
native of Ohio, and his father was a farmer and a tanner. 
He had the good fortune, therefore, to be brought up on a 
farm, which is the best place in the world for a boy. He 
graduated ^t West Point MiHtary Academy when he was 
twenty-one years of age. 

Previous to the Civil War, Grant's career was varied. In 
the Mexican War he commanded a company, served as quar- 
termaster, as adjutant of the regiment, and under General 
Scott performed a variety of daring services. In 1853 he 
was made captain, and the next year resigned his command, 
and with his family settled on a small farm at St. Louis. One 

26s 



266 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



year before the war began he removed to Illinois and acted 
as clerk in his father's store, where he sold hardware and 
leather. 

Captures Fort Donelson. As soon as he heard that Fort 

Sumter had been captured he 

LIGHT AND DARK BLUE ^^^^ ^ ^^^^^^ g^^^^ f^^. ^-^^ 

Union, and at once raised a 
company of volunteers, drilled 
them, and took them to 
Springfield, the capital of the 
State. He was appointed 
colonel of an Illinois regi- 
ment and entered the field of 
active service in Missouri. In 
August he was made brigadier- 
general, and in September he 
seized Paducah, in Kentucky, 
and fortified it. Early the 
next year, 1862, he captured 
Fort Henry, and besieged 
Fort Donelson. General Buck- 
ner, who was then in com- 
mand of the fort, sent a flag 
of truce asking what terms 
Grant would give if he would surrender. Grant immediately 
returned this brief and historic reply : 

" No terms except an unconditional and immediate sur- 
render can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon 
your works." 

Buckner surrendered with fifteen thousand men, and the 
Confederate line of defense was broken. After a little, the 
Confederates fell back to Corinth, where in April Grant fought 




CAVALRY 



I N F A NT RY 



FEDERAL SOLDIERS. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 267 

the great battle of Shiloh. The Confederates retreated, and 
the Union army held the coiintry from Memphis to Chatta- 
nooga. 

Vicksburg. Then came the siege of Vicksburg, where Grant 
showed great generalship. Finally, on the Fourth of July, 
1863, General Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg to Grant, 
with his entire force of more than thirty thousand troops, sixty 
thousand muskets, and a large amount of military stores. 
The surrender of Vicksburg and the repulse of Lee at Gettys- 
burg, coming as they did at the same time, may be considered 
the turning-point of the war. Grant was now made a major- 
general and received from Congress a gold medal. 

Grant had clearly proved his superior ability as a general, 
and in March, 1864, he was made lieutenant-general and 
given command of all the armies of the Union. He now 
undertook to march his army through the Wilderness toward 
Richmond. 

The Wilderness. What a terrible campaign that was! In 
a single month the two armies lost perhaps ten thousand 
killed, fifty thousand wounded, and ten thousand missing. 
Grant transferred his army to the James River and from that 
time until the following spring, for nearly a year, the contest 
was desperate. At length, in April, 1865, Lee and his forces 
left Richmond, and Grant's army entered the Confederate 
capital. Lee now attempted a forced march toward the 
South, but, being hemmed in by Grant's army and Sheridan's 
cavalry, he surrendered his army (April 9, 1865), at Appomat- 
tox Court House. Grant made generous terms for the sur- 
render and furnished the defeated army with a large amount 
of rations and supplies. 

The End of the War. Meantime General Sherman had made 
his famous march through Georgia. General Johnston yielded 



208 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 






%-'^^^% 




GRANT IN THE CAMPAIGN OF THE WILDERNESS. 

to Sherman, and General Kirby Smith surrendered his forces 
west of the Mississippi River. The war was ended. 

The President issued a proclamation of amnesty, and Lee 
applied b}^ letter, asking to be included in this amnesty. 
Grant had shown his noble nature by the very liberal terms 
which he had given to Lee's army at the surrender. He had 
allowed them to retain their horses, side-arms, and baggage, 
and had simply taken from them a promise that they would 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



269 



no longer contend against the United States government. 
Grant indorsed Lee's letter applying for amnesty, as follows : 

" Respectfully forwarded, through the Secretary of War, to 
the President, with the earnest recommendation that the appli- 
cation of General Robert E. Lee for amnesty and pardon be 
granted him." 

Results. Now that the war was over, let us see what were 
its results. We must remember that 
the Southern States withdrew from the 
Union, formed a Confederacy of their 
own, and attacked Fort Sumter. The 
United States government refused to 
recognize this separation, and considered 
the armed attack as a rebellion to be put 
down by arms. President Lincoln called 
fc>r volunteers to enforce the laws of the 
Union in those States. When the war 
ended in the victory of the United States, 
the theory of secession was overthrown ; 
henceforth the United States is a Nation, one and indivisible. 

Slavery Abolished. Although the war was fought for the 
preservation of the Union, another result followed from it. 
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, in 
the midst of the war, declaring the slaves in those States that 
were still in arms against the Union to be free. It was then 
clear that if the United States was victorious, slavery would 
be abolished throughout the nation. 

Soon after the end of the war an amendment to the national 
Constitution was adopted, forever forbidding slavery in any 
part of the United States. Lincoln was right when he said, 
long before: " This government cannot endure permanently 
half slave and half free." It is now all free. 




GENERAL SHERMAN. 



270 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



These results came from the war ; but at what terrible 
cost! We cannot tell of the great numbers that were killed; 
of the greater numbers that were wounded; of the suffering 
and sorrow in thousands of homes. We cannot tell of the 
enormous expense; the hea\y taxes, both then and now, for 
we still spend vast sums in pensions to our soldiers, and to 




CIVIL \VA.R 

1861 ie«9 

toyal Sieici ini) Ten 
5oulheni Conffderac/ 



pay the iaterest on the debt which grew out of the war. We 
cannot tell of the fearful injury to the States which seceded, 
for they bore the full brunt of the war and it left them in 
poverty. 

National Growth. Nearly half a century has passed since 
the surrender at Appomattox. The wounds of the great war 
have now well healed. The United States has had a prosperous 
history. North, East, West, and South have grown with 
wonderful rapidity. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT, 27 1 

Not the least remarkable has been the history of the South- 
ern States. They have risen from their defeat. They lost 
their all, but they began again and have regained prosperity. 
The United States government treated the vanquished with 
great mildness. No one was put to death at the end of the 
war, but few were imprisoned, and most of those only for a 
brief time; all were pardoned, and their former rights were 
restored to them, at least if they so desired. 

The Southern States are to-day as loyal to the government 
as the Northern; their response to the call of the President 
of the United States to assist in freeing Cuba was quick 
and enthusiastic. The United States is now a united 
country. 

All honor has been given to the heroes of the Civil War. 
First and foremost, the country loves the memory of Abraham 
Lincoln, " Our Martyred President," who, but a few days after 
the surrender, died from the shot of an assassin. 

Grant's Last Years. General Grant received the highest 
honors that our country has ever given to any man. He was 
the first, after Washington, to be made general of the United 
States Army. He was twice elected President. He made a 
tour around the world as a private citizen, and he was every- 
where received as one of the great men of the world. He was 
honored by kings and emperors, by the Czar and the Mikado, 
by queens and presidents. 

Yet, when he returned to the United States, he had not 
been made proud by his honors; he remained what he had 
always been, a modest, humble, quiet, plain American citi- 
zen. After a long illness, during which the entire country 
read with bated breath, day by day, the news from his bed- 
side, General Ulysses S. Grant died, at Mount McGregor, New 
York, July 23, 1885. 



272 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



Twelve years after his death, when his magnificent tomb 
in New York was completed, the whole nation took part in 
the ceremonies of laying his body in its final resting-place. 

Tell the story of Grant as a boy and a young man ; at the opening 
of the war; at Fort Donelson; at Vicksburg; in Virginia; on his tour 
around the world. 

State the results of the war. 

Describe the present condition of the country. 

Why is a farm " the best place in the world for a boy "? How long 
did it take Grant to get to Richmond? How long did the Civil War 
last? Name ten generals mentioned in this and the preceding chapter; 
state on which- side each fought. What is a " proclamation of am- 
nesty "? What do you think was the best point in Grant's character? 





CHAPTER XXXIV 

David G. Farragut 

1801-1870 

A Young Sailor. Love for a life at sea seems to run in some 
families; like father, like son. Many of our distinguished 
naval commanderb were sons of naval officers. Admiral 
Farragut was not an exception to this rule. His father was 
George Farragut, who took part in the Revolutionary War 
and was a friend and companion of General Jackson. At one 
time Admiral Farragut told this story about his boyhood : 

" When I was ten years of age I was with my father on 
board a man-of-war. I had some qualities that I thought 
made a man of me. I could swear like an old salt, could 
drink as stiff a glass of grog as if I had doubled Cape Horn, 
and could smoke like a locomotive. I was great at cards, 
and fond of gaming in every shape. At the close of dinner 
one day my father turned everybody out of the cabin, locked 
the door, and said to me : " 

•79 



274 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



The Turning Point. " ' David, what do you mean to be?' 
' I mean to follow the sea.' ' Follow the sea! yes, to be a 
poor, miserable, dnmken sailor before the mast, be kicked and 
cuffed about the world, and die in some fever hospital in a 
foreign clime.' ' No,' said I; ' I'll tread the quarter-deck, and 
command as you do.' ' No, David; no boy ever trod the 
quarter-deck with such principles as you have, and such 

habits as you exhibit. 
[ZX^"^ You'll have to change 
your whole course of 
life if you ever become 
a man.' 

" My father left me 
and went on deck, j 
was stunned by the re- 
buke, and overwhelmed 
with mortification. 'A 
poor, miserable, drunk- 
en sailor before the 
mast! be kicked and 
cuffed about the world, 
That's my fate, is it? I'll 
I will never utter 




yOUNG FARRAGUT S LESSON FROM HIS FATHER 



and die in some fever hospital ! ' 

change my life, and change it at once. 

another oath ; I will never drink another drop of intoxicating 

liquor; I will never gamble. I have kept these three vows to 

this hour. Shortly afterward I became a Christian. That act 

was the turning point in my destiny." 

In Command of a Fleet. In December, 1861, Farragut was 
summoned to Washington. Soon after, he wrote a hurried 
note to his wife: " Keep your lips closed and bum my letters, 
for perfect silence is to be observed — the first injunction of 
the Secretary. I am to have a flag in the Gulf, and the rest 



DAVID G. FARRAGUT. 



275 



depends upon myself. Keep calm and silent. I shall sail in 
three weeks." 

The expedition consisted of twenty-one vessels. It sailed 
away from Hampton Roads early in February, 1862. Its 
design was to capture the city of New Orleans. 

The Capture of New Orleans. General Butler at the same 
time sailed for Ship Island with fifteen thousand troops 
Farragut sent a boat up 
the river one dark night 
to cut the chains which 
the Confederates had put 
across the river, and 
make an opening for the 
fleet to pass through. 

At two o'clock in the 
morning of April 23, the 
fleet of thirteen vessels 
moved up the river. 
They succeeded in pass- 
ing the forts after a 
most desperate battle. 
They destroyed the 
Confederate fleet, and, ^""^ 

two davs after New farragut's mortar boats shelling the 

^ , ' , FORTS BELOW NEW ORLEANS. 

Orleans surrendered. 

Then General Butler took command of the city, and Farragut 
with his fleet sailed up the Mississippi until it met the Missis- 
sippi gunboat fleet from Memphis. 

This capture of New Orleans was a brilliant victory. 

A Master of Details. Perhaps no commander was ever so 
completely master of every detail as Farragut, unless it was his 
young lieutenant, George Dewey, whom he particularly com- 




276 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

mended, and who, at Manila, thirty-six years after, showed 
the same quaH ties. He could have taken the place, and per- 
formed the duties, of any man in the fleet. 

Farragut's flagship, the Hartford, during her nineteen 
months of service had been struck by shot and shell two hun- 
dred and forty times. On his return home for refitting his 
ship, Farragut was received with great honor, and the Union 
League Club of New York presented him with a beautiful 
sword, with gold and silver scabbard, the hilt set in brilliants. 

Battle of Mobile Bay. Early in 1864 Farragut was again sent 
to the Gulf to attack the defenses of Mobile. The object, 
particularly, was to stop the blockade rimners, which were 
constantly going in and out through Mobile Bay. Farragut 
issued general orders containing the most minute instructions 
fully adapted to the case in every instance. 

He had seven sloops of war, four ironclad monitors, and 
six steamers to keep up a flank fire upon the forts, and now, 
on the 5th of August, 1864, before daylight everybody in the 
fleet was astir, and at 5.30 the signal was given to advance. 
Then came a terrible cannonade. The fleet shelled the forts; 
the forts shelled the fleet. 

The smoke was intense. In order to see over it, Commo- 
dore Farragut placed himself in the rigging. As the smoke 
increased he went up higher and higher. Captain Drayton, 
to prevent his falling to the deck in case he should be wounded, 
sent up a quartermaster with a rope, which was made fast to 
the shrouds, passing around the admiral's body. 

The fleet sailed three miles up the bay, when a Confederate 
ram attacked the fleet with tremendous energy. Then 
ensued a singular but desperate contest. The ram surren- 
dered. A few days later all the forts capitulated. 

The First American Admiral. Farragut's health was now 





DAVID G. FARRAGUT. 


277 


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VfL 


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>«rltt^'^5i'V 


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FARRAGUT LASHED TO THE RIGGING IN THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY. 



failing and he was ordered home. The people of New York 
presented him a purse of $50,000. He was made vice-admiral, 
and a year or two later Congress created the grade of admiral, a 
grade unknown before in the United States navy, and the rank 
was given to Farragut. 

After the war, Farragut made a long cruise in European 
waters, visiting the principal capitals of Europe. He was 



278 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

everywhere received with the greatest honors. One of the 
most interesting incidents of the cruise was a visit to the 
island of Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands, belonging to 
Spain, situated in the Mediterranean. This was the home of 
Farragut's ancestors, and the whole population of the island 
turned out to welcome him. 

His Ancestors. These ancestors of our admiral had among 
them many eminent personages. One of them, Don Pedro 
Farragut, served under James I, King of Aragon, in the 
war in which the Moors were expelled from Majorca and 
Valencia, in the thirteenth century. From that time on there 
were in the family many persons of distinction ; for instance, a 
theologian, an historian, a bishop, an honored soldier in the 
seventeenth century, and several magistrates of the kingdom 
of Majorca. The admiral's father, George Farragut, was bom 
in Minorca in 1755. He came to the United States when he 
was twenty-one years of age, and, as we have already noted, 
took part in the American Revolution, in the Indian campaigns, 
and in the war with England in 181 2. Thus it is evident 
that Admiral Farragut inherited his sterling qualities from a 
notable ancestry. 

AVhen the war was over, the Union Club of Boston gave a 
dinner to the admiral, at which Oliver Wendell Holmes read one 
of his happiest poems, a few lines of which may be quoted here : 

" Our stout old commodores, 

Hull, Bainbridge, Porter — where are they? 
The answering billows roll 

Still bright in memory's sunset ray. 
God rest each gallant soul! 

A brighter name must dim their light 
With more than noontide ray — 

The Viking of the River Fight, 
The Conqueror of the Bay. 



DAVID G. FARRAGUT, 279 

I give the name that fits him best, 
Ay, better than his own, 

The Sea-king of the sovereign West, 
Who made his mast a throne." 

Farragut. died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in August, 
/870, in the seventieth year of his age. 

Tell Farragut's story about his boyhood. 

Give accounts of the capture of New Orleans; of the great naval 
battle near Mobile. 

Describe Farragut's speech at Norfolk. 

Decatur, Porter, and Farragut were all sons of naval officers; did 
that fact aid them in their life work? Did Farragut's father know 
with certainty what would be his son's life if he did not change? Why 
did Farragut write to his wife to keep "perfect silence"? What 
were " blockade runners "? AVas Farragut safe in his high position on 
the mast? Whom did Holmes call the " A^iking of the River Fight," 
the " Conqueror of the Bay," the " Sea-king of the sovereign West, 
who made his mast a throne " ? Explain the reason for each expression, 
if possible. 




CHAPTER XXXV 

Horace Mann 

1796-1859 



School Days. Near the close of the eighteenth century, on a 
farm in FrankHn, Massachusetts, Horace Mann was bom. 
He was a thoughtful and studious boy. From the age of ten 
until he was twenty he had not more than six weeks' schooling 
in any one year. The teachers in these schools he afterward 
described as " very good people, but very poor teachers." His 
school-books he earned by braiding straw. 

When he was twenty years old, he came under the influence 
of a schoolmaster who was a real scholar, a genius who could 
appreciate rare mental power when he foimd it in his pupils. 
This traveling pedagogue encouraged yoting Horace to prepare 
for college and obtain a liberal education. His pupil entered 
into the plan with an intense zeal, so that in a few months he 
was admitted to advanced standing in Brown University. 
He was graduated from college in 1819, and on commencement 
day he delivered an oration upon " The Progressive Character 
of the Human Race." He taught Latin and Greek at his alma 
mater, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. 

Secretary of Board of Education. He was a member of the 



HORACE MANN. 281 

House of Representatives in Massachusetts from 1827 to 1833, 
and served in the State Senate for the next four years. Through 
his personal exertions Massachusetts estabHshed a Board of 
Education, and Mr. Mann was at once put at its head as 
secretary. During his long service, in addition to his other 
duties, he wrote the annual reports of the board to the 
people of the State. These reports discussed in a forcible 
manner many new questions of education, and they had a 
great influence in elevating the standard of public sentiment 
and of school instruction, not only in the State of Massachu- 
setts, but throughout the whole country. He made a tour in 
Europe, especially noting all the good features of the schools in 
Germany, and then gave the result of his observations to his 
countrymen. 

The earnestness of purpose and tremendous industry 
which he threw into his work could not fail to produce great 
results. In speaking of his service at a later period, he said: 
" I labored in this cause an average of not less than fifteen 
hours a day, and from the beginning to the end of this period 
(eleven years) I never took a single day for relaxation, 
and month after month together passed without my with- 
drawing a single evening to call upon a friend." It was his 
desire for better schools in America that made him work like 
this. 

The American Public School. While secretary of the Massa- 
chusetts Board of Education, he brought to pass a complete 
revolution of public sentiment regarding popular education. 
It was Horace Mann who, by advocating new methods and 
new plans — at first almost alone and unaided — started the 
great movement in public -school education in this coimtry 
which has continued to the present day. There are many 
things which we call American, in distinction from others 



2«2 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 



called European. Nothing, however, is more strikingly 
American than our system of public education. 

The New England settlers very early began to establish 
schools. Education was dear to their hearts. In 1639 the 
plantation at Dorchester established a school to be supported 
by taxation. This was the beginning of the American system 




AN OLD-TIME COUNTRY SCHOOLROOM. 



of public schools. " The property of the State should be 
taxed to educate the children of the State." To-day this 
principle is applied in every State and every Territory of the 
Union. On it depends, in large measure, the strength of our 
republican institutions. 

Old-time Schools. In the early days, as might be supposed, 
the schools were very crude. Most of the people were spread 
over the cotintry upon farms. The towns were divided into 



HORACE MANN, 283 

school districts, and, after a time, each district managed its 
own school affairs. The schoolhouses were small, of but one 
room, and generally located at " the forks of the roads." 
They might be twenty or twenty-five feet square, with a long 
desk on each of three sides and a bench of white-oak or 
hard-pine plank in front of it. Upon the fourth side was 
a huge fireplace, with a stone chimney. Wood was plenty, 
and sometimes the " backlog," the " forestick," and the 
pile of wood between them would measure nearly a quarter 
of a cord. As the districts became better settled, more 
benches were added, and, at last, stoves were used instead of 
fireplaces. 

Here the " master " kept the school from six to twelve 
weeks in the winter, and the " mistress " an equal length of 
time in the summer. Queer reading lessons and queer ways 
of spelling they had in those days. Webster's " Blue-back " 
Spelling Book was in general use at the beginning of the last 
century. It had reading as well as spelling lessons, one of 
the former being a quaint story of the old man wdio foimd a 
rude boy in his apple tree. 

A Spelling Lesson. They had curious ways of conducting a 
spelling-lesson. The word "able" would be spelled thus: 
" A-by-self, a; b-l-e, ble — able." " Aaron " would be spelled 
in this way: " Great A, little a; r-o-n, ron — Aaron." Great 
attention was given in the spelling to the pronunciation of the 
syllables, and sometimes a little extra explanation would be 
thrown in. 

In some places the word " abomination " would be spelled 
after this fashion: "A, there's your a; bo-m, bom, there's 
your bom, there's your abom; i-n, in, there's your in, there's 
your bomin, there's yoiir abomin; a, there's your a, there's 
your ina, there's your bomina, there's your abomina; t-i-o-n. 



284 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



tion, there's your tion, there's your ation, there's your ina- 
tion, there's your bomination, there's your abomination," 

Spelling School. In those days the spelHng school was a 
great institution. It was, for the whole neighborhood, equal 
to a theatrical play. Great fun the young people had. Some- 
times a school district would be pitted against the next school 
district, and, as the master " put out " the words, the contest 
wotdd consist in a severe trial to see which district would 
be " floored " first. 

The spellers from one district would be ranged along one 
side of the room, and those from the other district along the 
other side. The first word would be given to the first speller 
on one side, the next word to the first speller on the other side, 
then to the second speller, and so on. If one missed a word, 
he must immediately take his seat. Rapidly the ranks would 
be thinned, and by and by the contest would be carried on 
perhaps between two spellers, one on each side. Then, as 

one missed and the other 
was victorious, a mighty 
shout would rise up. Many 
would spend a great 
amotint of time during 
the weeks preceding the 




THE RIDE HOME AFTER " SPELLING SCHOOL. 



HORACE MANN. 285 

contest at the spelling school in preparing themselves for the 
ordeal. 

At the spelling school, " pieces " would be spoken also, and 
after the school was over would come games, and if the sleigh- 
ing was good, an extended sleigh-ride, on the principle that the 
longest way around was the nearest way home. 

Discipline. In those old times everybody had ver^'- positive 
ideas upon the question of " school discipline." A woman 
might keep school in the summer, when only the younger 
scholars went to school; but in the winter it was understood 
that all the big boys in the neighborhood would attend school, 
and therefore the committee must find a man that would be un- 
questionably the master. He must be able to prevent the big boys 
from defying his authority, throwing him out of the window, 
pitching him into a snowbank, or riding him on a rail. All of 
these shameful performances have been known to be executed 
in the early days in some of the New England school districts. 

Under such conditions, of course, there would occasionally 
he foimd a tyrannical schoolmaster, one who would make 
habitual use of the " ferule," who would keep some stout hick- 
ory sticks on hand prepared for an emergency, who would 
sometimes bump the heads of two boys together, who would 
lift up little girls by their ears imtil they bled. Compared 
with these coarse and brutal ways on the part of both the boys 
and the master, the delightful relations of our modem school- 
rooms seem to belong to a different world. 

The Three R's. The studies pursued in the schools of those 
early days consisted mainly of the three R's — " Readin', 
'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic." The writing book was usually made 
of six sheets of foolscap paper with a brown-paper cover sewed 
on, and the copies were set by the master or mistress, at the top 
of the page. The writing was done with a quill pen, and the 



286 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



experienced teacher always took great pride in his ability to 
make and mend pens. A sharp penknife was needed. The 
new quill must be scraped on the outside to remove the thin 
film, a sort of cuticle which enveloped the quill proper. One 
dexterous stroke cut off what was to become the under side 
of the pen. A single motion of the knife made the slit. Two 
quick strokes removed the two upper comers, leaving the point. 
Then came the most delicate part of this mechanical process. 
The point of the pen was placed upon the thumb nail of the 
left hand. The knife was deftly guided so as to cut off the 

extreme end of the pen directly 
across the slit, leaving a smooth 
end, not too blunt so as to make 
too large a mark, and not too 
fine so as to scratch. The pen 
was then ready for use. 

All this is now long past. 
The old method of teaching, 
the old system of discipline, 
the old schoolhouse, and the 
course of study which included 
only the three R's, have all 
given place to modem and im- 
proved methods. 

Modern Methods. Graded 

schools ; houses properly 

lighted, heated, and ventilated : 

and refined; true methods of 

presenting the subjects to be studied; manual training and 

physical training — these all are parts of the modem system. 

Teachers are now selected, not because of their physical 

ability to " keep school," but because they have been trained 




A MASTER MENDING A QUILL PEN. 



courses of study enriched 



HORACE MANN. 287 

to teach, have been carefully taught how to present the sub- 
jects properly to the child's mind; these are the teachers of 
to-day. 

Colleges. Our school system, however, did not begin at the 
bottom and work upward, but it began at the top and reached 
downward. Harvard College, in Massachusetts, was founded 
in 1636; William and Mary College, in Virginia, in 1693; Yale 
College, in Connecticut, in 1700; and by the middle of the 
eighteenth century, three others had been started, — King's 
College, now Columbia University, in New York ; the College 
of New Jersey, now Princeton University, in New Jersey; 
and the University of Pennsylvania. 

Preparatory Schools. The colleges required preparatory 
schools. The Boston Latin School was begun in 1635, and 
other preparatory schools followed from necessity. About a 
hundred years ago private academies were established in large 
numbers to prepare young men for college and for business life. 
During the first half of the nineteenth century these academies 
played a very important part in the history of education. But 
about the middle of that century Massachusetts by law made 
public high schools compulsory in all her larger towns. These 
high schools soon spread into all the States; they have dis- 
placed many of the private academies, and have brought 
" secondary education," as it is called, within the reach of all 
the people. 

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, vast sums 
of money have been given for the endowment of colleges 
throughout the United States. Probably in no part of the 
world or in any preceding age have such large sums of money 
been given for educational purposes as have been contributed 
by individuals and voted by the people within the last fifty 
years to endow institutions of learning in our country., 



258 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Education of Women. In another direction a marked 
improvement has been made — namely, in the education of 
women. Before this country gained her independence but 
little attention had been given to the education of girls. They 
were taught at home to cook, to sew, to embroider, but their 
school privileges were very meager. Progress in the education 
of young women was slow indeed, until within quite recent 
years. But for half a century our people have been awake to 
the duty of giving to girls the same opportunities for education 
which boys enjoy. 

It has been demonstrated that women learn the arts, sci- 
ences, and literature as easily, as rapidly, and as thoroughly 
as men do. Many colleges have been established for women, 
and they are all full to overflowing. Most of the older as well 
as the newer universities have opened their doors to women 
on equal terms with men. Young women are now in large 
numbers taking post-graduate courses and becoming proficient 
in various and diverse lines of study. 

Technical Schools. We have special schools for nearly every 
pursuit requiring great skill. Normal schools educate our 
teachers. Technical schools educate our mechanics, bridge- 
builders, civil, mechanical, electrical, and mining engineers, and 
architects. There are schools for manual training and physical 
training; schools for the blind, the deaf, and those otherwise 
defective; schools in the prisons, night schools, and summer 
schools, and, indeed, schools of all sorts and for all purposes. 

In England, Germany, and France the imiversities have 
their special excellences. But the American system of edu- 
cation, including public schools. State universities, colleges, 
technical schools, and others, all combine to furnish the edu- 
cation which is best adapted to the people of America. We 
have made rapid advance in science, in the arts, in the com- 



HORACE MANN. 



289 




290 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

forts of life, in our industrial pursuits, and especially in our 
marvelous inventions and manufactures; but probably our 
educational system shows the most wonderful achievements 
of all. The progress of our schools and our teaching has 
been so rapid, so varied, so universal, and so dear to the 
hearts of all the people, that it stands out as the most remark- 
able and characteristic thing in America. 

American Authors. With the enthusiasm for education in 
the schoolroom, the love of books has grown among the people, 
and our country has produced many able writers. 

Once, long ago, Sydney Smith, a sharp-tongued English 
critic, asked contemptuously, " Who reads an American book ? " 
Now the whole reading world reads American books. Begin- 
ning with Washington Irving, who wrote so charmingly about 
Spain and old New York, and gave us " Rip Van Winkle," we 
have had a splendid company of such historians as Bancroft, 
Prescott, Parkman, Motley, and MacMaster; of such poets 
as Bryant, Longfellow, Holmes, Whittier, Lowell, Emerson, 
Poe, Lanier, Whitman; such story-tellers as Cooper, Haw- 
thorne, Cable, James, Howells, Mrs. Stowe, Mrs. Phelps 
Ward, Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, Crawford, and Davis; and such 
humorous writers as " Artemus Ward," " Mark Twain," and 
the narrator of ' ' Uncle Remus ' ' ; besides scores of other 
authors who are scarcely less eminent. 

Public Libraries. Americans love to read. We have a 
public library system immatched in the world. Nearly every 
city has its great library, and as fast as tow^ns grow in culture 
they put up a public library building, where books are free to 
all the citizens. The Boston Library is one of the wonders of 
our country. The Congressional Library in Washington is the 
most sumptuous house for books in the world. Simple, but of 
vast influence, are the book clubs and the traveling libraries 



HORACE MANN. 29I 

which now extend the privilege of literature to the humblest 
villages. Local bands for reading and study, like the Chautau- 
qua circles and the countless women's clubs, carry the impulse 
of education farther and farther. 

But this universal impulse is due to the American public 
school. Here is the origin of the spirit of enlightenment 
and liberty and justice. The schools have made our country 
what it is and the children now in them are to make America 
what it shall be. 

Lessons in Patriotism. During our war with Spain htmdreds 
of thousands of the young men of our republic eagerly re- 
sponded to the President's call for volunteers. No one can 
tell how many of them received their first warm impulse of 
devotion to coimtry and flag from seeing the Stars and Stripes 
floating daily above the schoolhouse. 

Certainly the enthusiasm which swept across the continent 
as soon as the nation needed defenders was wonderful, and the 
intense love which was everywhere shown for the flag proved 
that somebody had been teaching patriotism. 

We admire our patriot statesmen and our patriot soldiers. 
Just as admirable is the patriot school-teacher, who is putting 
heart and soul into the training of future citizens, and who 
leads their voices as they say, " I pledge allegiance to my flag 
and to the Republic for which it stands — one Nation, indi- 
visible, with liberty and justice for all." 

Tell the story of Horace Mann: as a boy; as a young man; as an 
educator. 

Explain the meaning of " American system of public education." 

Describe the early schoolhouse. 

Give an account of a spelling school. 

Contrast the early schools with our modern schools. 

What is a " liberal education "? What is meant by " supported by 
taxation "? What are " forks of the roads "? Why did the big boys 
go to school in the winter only? What is " secondary education "? 
What is the influence of the flag over the schoolhouse ? 




CHAPTER XXXVI 

Clara Barton 
1830— 

Schools for Girls. Our country has gained a high rank 
among the nations of the earth in many directions. Among 
them all we should not forget the great advantages it has given 
to women, and the famous exploits which have here been per- 
formed by women. America is celebrated throughout the 
world for its multitude of women v/ho have distinguished 
themselves. 

In literature, for one thing, the American woman has 
occupied a very high place. In former times, women never 
had, in any country, equal literary advantages with men. 
Fifty years ago it was very rare, even in our own country, 
that one could find a woman who had received a college 
education. In the city of Boston, even the schools which 
we now know as grammar schools were open only to boys 
until long after the war of the Revolution. 

In some towns, when Washington was President, the boys 
were sent home from school an hour earlier than the time 
for closing, both forenoon and afternoon, and then the 



CLARA BARTON. 293 

girls came in ; or, in other cases, the girls came for an hour in 
the morning before the boys, and on Thursday afternoon, 
when the boys had a holiday. Even this concession to the 
education of girls occurred only during the summer months. 
Sometimes the reason which people gave why girls could not en- 
joy equal schooling with the boys was on account ' ' of the female 
health." Great changes have taken place since those days. 

Higher Education for Girls. In the early part of the last cen- 
tury Mrs. Emma Willard gave a superior education to women 
in her seminary at Troy, New York. Miss Catherine Beecher 
educated many in her seminary at Hartford, Connecticut. A 
college course was opened to women at Oberlin, Ohio, as early 
as 1833. Three years later, Mary Lyon began her great work 
of educating girls in the Mount Holyoke Seminary, Massa- 
chusetts. To-day we meet in many communities almost as 
many yoimg women who have been educated at college as 
young men. 

" Uncle Tom's Cabin." Now let us see what some of these 
women have done. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote that wonder- 
ful story, " Uncle Tom's Cabin," which stirred the hearts of 
the whole world as to the evil of slavery. It was not the work 
of leisure hours. Many of its pages were written beside the 
kitchen fire, while the author was attending to the family 
cooking. When the book was published it created the widest 
excitement, both North and South. Everybody read it who 
read books at all. The very next year it was translated into 
ten different languages. No other work of fiction in the 
English language was ever so widely sold. 

In a similar way Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson aroused the 
nation in behalf of the Indians by her story of " Ramona," 
which has been called " one of the most artistic creations of 
American literature." 



294 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Distinguished Women. But the time would fail to tell what 
our distinguished American women have done in literature. 
Louisa M. Alcott, Mary N. Murfree, who calls herself " Charles 
Egbert Craddock," Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Frances 
Hodgson Burnett, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, Kate 
Douglas Wiggin, Ruth McEnery Stuart, Sarah Ome Jewett, 
Alice and Phoebe Gary, Lucy Larcom, Louise Chandler Moul- 
ton, Edna Dean Proctor, Margaret Preston, Harriet Prescott 
Spofford, Margaret Deland, Mary Johnston, Edith Wharton, 
and Ellen Glasgow are some of our brilliant authors. But 
there are so many of them that their names cannot be called. 
Let all honor be given to these wonderful women who have 
achieved such great success in the field of literature. Of one 
of them Whittier wrote : 

" O white soul! from that far-off shore 
Float some sweet song the waters o'er. 
Our faith confirm, oiir fears dispel, 

With the old voice we loved so well! " 

But not alone in literature has woman's great talent and 
pure character made a place in American history. On the 
platform, in music, with the brush and the chisel in the artist's 
studio, in associated charities, and in the home, woman has 
won her way, earned her laurels and achieved distinguished 
success. 

Dorothea L. Dix. But it is in the field of philanthropy that 
we find among American women the most brilliant examples of 
sacrifice. Women have always been saying : 

" Give me, dear Lord, some work to do, 

Some field to plough, some harvest rich to reap; 
Some mission to fulfil both grand and true — 
To feed Thy sheep." 



CLARA BARTON. 295 

In doing for others, woman has everywhere shown special 
talent and achieved worthy success. 

Miss Dorothea L. Dix spent twenty years in studying the 
condition of paupers, Itmatics, and prisoners in this country. 
She visited every State in the Union east of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, examining prisons, poorhouses, and limatic asylums, 
trying to persuade the lawmakers and rich men to relieve the 
poor and needy ones. During our late Civil War she devoted 
four years to nursing wounded soldiers and improving hospital 
arrangements in connection with the army. 

Frances E. Willard. One day, in the year 1898, the telegraph 
flashed the news to all parts of the American continent, and 
the ocean cable told to the nations of the Old World that 
Frances E. Willard was dead. That telegram carried grief to 
the hearts of millions. It is seldom that the death of one 
person brings sorrow to so many souls as in this case of Miss 
Willard. What had she done? Why was it that she was so 
greatly beloved, the world over? It was her philanthropic 
spirit ; her labors for the good of the race ; her great deeds ; her 
devotion in particular to the cause of temperance. 

Early in life she was a professor in college, and was earnest 
in her work; but she left that profession, and for a quarter of a 
century engaged, heart and soul, in the work of the Woman's 
Christian Temperance Union, of which for nearly twenty years 
she was the president. As a speaker, as a writer, as a leader, 
Miss Willard gained rare credit. But, after all, it was more her 
character, her unselfishness, her devotion to a great cause, 
which won the love and admiration of the world. 

Clara Barton. We must hasten to speak of that dis- 
tinguished person whose name stands at the head of this 
chapter. Everybody has heard of Clara Barton. What 
Florence Nightingale was to the Old World, Clara Barton has 



296 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

been to the New, Indeed, she has not been confined to the 
New World, for she has done the same work in France and in 
far-away Turkey, and then devoted her ceaseless activities to 
the relief of the starving Cubans and to the wounded and sick 
American soldiers in Cuba. We have chosen her name as a 
representative woman. 

Let us see what a marvelous amount of work has been 
crowded into this one life. She was bom in Worcester County, 
Massachusetts, in 1830, She early learned to earn her own 
bread. She was a thorough housekeeper, and as clerk and 
bookkeeper for her brother she learned the rules of business. 
Educated in the public schools, she became a school-teacher 
when very young. She was employed in the Patent Office 
at Washington for three years, but in 1857 she lost her 
place because she was suspected of holding anti-slavery sen- 
timents. 

Her Work in the Civil War. When the Civil War broke out 
she heard the same call to which Miss Dix responded. She 
went to Washington. The troops gathered rapidly and soon 
the hospitals were filled. The work which she assigned to 
herself was the care of the sick, visiting them daily, carrying to 
them reading matter, comforting them with delicacies, writing 
letters to their friends. 

Soon her work became known and her fame rapidly spread 
abroad. For a time she remained at Washington, with no 
authority, with no rank, with no pay, and subject to the orders 
of no one. Then she followed the army to the battlefield. 
She was at Fairfax Station after the second battle of Bull 
Rim; she was at Antietam, at Fredericksburg. She organ- 
ized a bureau of records of missing men in the army. The 
object of this bureau was to gather information concerning 
the missing and to commimicate it to their friends. She was 



CLARA BARTON. 



297 



thus able to comfort thousands of families, having traced the 
fate of more than thirty thousand men. 

In this work for the soldiers she expended her whole fortune 
of $10,000. Then Congress voted her $15,000 to reimburse her 
for her expenditures and to help her carry on her bureau, 
which had proved of great service. 

In Europe. After the war was over she went to Europe 
for her health. When the 
Franco-German War be- 
gan in 1870, she joined the 
Red Cross Society and 
helped to organize and reor- 
ganize the German hospital 
service. The story is told 
that after the surrender of 
Strasburg there were twenty 
thousand people homeless 
and himgry, and Miss Bar- 
ton, at her own expense, 
provided material for thirty 
thousand garments to be 
made by women, who were 
thus able to earn their own 
food. 

The Red Cross Society. 
Three years after this war 
she returned to America 
and began a movement looking to the recognition of the Red 
Cross Society by our national government. She gained this 
recognition from our government in 1881, and became presi- 
dent of the American Association of the Red Cross. The con- 
stitution of this society says that its object is" to organize a 




A RED CROSS NURSE ON THE BATTLE- 
FIELD. 



298 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



system of national relief, and apply the same in mitigating suf- 
fering caused by war, pestilence, famine, and by calamities." 
One article in the constitution of the American society reads 
as follows : 

" That our society shall have for one of its objects to aid 
the suffering in times of great national calamities — such 




THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD, AN OCCASION FOR RED CROSS RELIEF. 

as floods, cyclones, great fires, pestilence, earthquakes, local 
famines, etc." Among the occasions of calamity when the 
services of the Red Cross have been called into requisition 
were the frightful forest fires which took place in Michigan 
and other sections of the great Northwest; the floods of 1882- 
'84 in the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; several droughts in 
different sections ; the Charleston earthquake ; the Johnstown 
disaster; and the San Francisco fire. 

The Johnstown Flood. The Johnstown disaster was almost 
the entire blotting out of the town by a flood. Houses were 
swept away, and the loss of life was great. The flood was 



CLARA BARTON. 299 

occasioned by the breaking away of a dam upon the Little 
Conemaugh River, nine miles above the town, during a heavy 
rainfall. The waters swept down through the valley in one 
great wave, carrying utter destruction to the fated city. The 
calamity awoke sympathy all over the coimtry, and a fund 
was raised for the relief of the sufferers. Much of this fund 
was put into the hands of the Red Cross Society. The city 
was soon rebuilt, however, and is to-day much more prosperous 
and has a larger population than before this disaster. 

In Turkey. A few years ago occurred a cruel uprising of 
Mohammedans against the Christians of Asiatic Turkey. 
There were terrible massacres and immense suffering ensued, 
especially to the people who had been driven away from their 
homes. Clara Barton undertook to carry relief to the sur- 
vivors, and, taking her life in her hand, she penetrated into 
that wild country and, like a good angel, carried bread, cloth- 
ing, and cheer to thousands of sufferers. 

In Cuba. Now came the civil war in Cuba, when the Cubans 
rose in opposition to the Spanish government. That govern- 
ment adopted severe and cruel measures against the people of 
the unhappy island. Peaceful citizens, not connected with the 
army on either side, were forced by the Spanish soldiers to 
leave their homes, their farms, and their other industries, 
and to stay like prisoners within fortified towns. There they 
had no means of livelihood, and actual starvation soon began 
to carry them off by thousands. 

To their relief went Clara Barton, with supplies from the 
benevolent people of the United States, ministering to their 
necessities, saving life, feeding the himgry, clothing the naked, 
conveying solace and cheer to those in the sharpest distress. 

There she remained till after the American battleship 
Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor and the Spaniards 



300 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 




CLARA BARTON. 



301 



grew so bitter toward all Americans that she could not longer 
continue her labors. Our government advised United States 
citizens to leave Cuba, for war between our country and Spain 
was likely to begin at any hour, and it would not be safe for 
Americans to stay. 

In the Spanish War. Soon after her arrival in Washington 
our government declared war against Spain for the inhuman 
f.reatment to which the Cubans were being subjected. Then, 




THE " MAINE " AFTER THE EXPLOSION. 

while our warships were sweeping out to sea and while our 
soldiers were volunteering to fight the Spanish, Clara Barton 
began to organize a gigantic enterprise by which, under the 
Red Cross banner, our sick and wounded soldiers and sailors 
might be tenderly cared for, and also the poor, suffering, starv- 
ing people of Cuba might receive the relief which had been 
interrupted. 

Thousands of brave and good women wanted to enlist 
Tinder her in this service, but only those who had some prepa-. 



302 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

ration in trained nursing could be accepted. The govern 
ment had previously recognized the Red Cross Society, and 
now gave it every facility for carrying on its noble work and 
beautiful service for the sufferers in the war 

Miss Barton secured from the Red Cross societies in various 
parts of our country great quantities of supplies — food, 
medicines, comforts, and delicacies — for the sick and suffer- 
ing, and soon again embarked for the seat of war. When 
the United States forces took Santiago de Cuba, Clara Barton 
and her faithful assistants were at the front, caring for the 
wounded and dying, even when the shot and shell were drop- 
ping all around them. Indeed, our generals thought it was 
not a fit place for women, there in the thick of the fight, and 
tried to persuade them to go to the rear; but they absolutely 
refused to go, and went on with their good work without 
flinching or apparently minding the danger at all. 

A Minister of Mercy. Thus this " minister of mercy " 
braved every danger, and with force of will and kindness of 
heart relieved to the utmost the horrors of war, comforting 
the smitten, writing letters for them to their friends at home, 
and by every possible means mitigating the sufferings of the 
neglected, the sick, the wounded, and the dying. 

At the beginning of the Spanish War our government 
stated distinctly that we had no intention of annexing Cuba, 
but only of aiding her to secure her independence. Cuba is 
to-day an independent country. However, as a result of this 
war the United States gained possession of the Philippine 
Islands, of Porto Rico, and of several smaller islands. 

Miss Barton's thrilling career from the beginning to the 
present time was that of an angel on earth. She has opened a 
way by which multitudes of others, great-hearted like herself, 
can now imitate her in effectively and wisely carrying out the 



C1.ARA BARTON. 303 

Golden Rule — giving water to the thirsty and food to the 
hungry, weeping with those that weep, helping those in dis- 
tress, comforting the sorrowing, while remembering the 
Saviour's injunction: "Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the 
least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." She died in 
Washington, April 12, 1912, at the age of eighty-two. 

What a beautiful life was that of Clara Barton — ^ active, 
earnest, vigorous, diligent! Soldiers are exempt from 
war at forty-five years of age; Miss Barton did not exempt 
herself at three score and ten. 

But there are many noble women in America, busy in va- 
rious directions, in literature, in education, in medicine, in 
religious work, in science, in journalism; women distinguished 
as reformers, as philanthropists, on the platform; women 
successful in music and art; in associated charities; but 
especially and everywhere women effective and great in 
the home. The women of America have fully kept pace 
with the men in the making of our history and in making 
it noble. 

Describe the education which girls received a hundred years ago. 
Give an account of women's woi-k in literature. Tell the story of 
Dorothea Dix. Give an account of the life of Frances E. Willard. 
Describe the work of Clara Barton during the Civil War; in the 
Franco-German War; in Armenia; in Cuba. Explain the purposes of 
the Red Cross Society. 

What made Florence Nightingale famous the world over? Do 
you think the work of Frances Willard more important than that 
of Clara Barton? Why? Why not? What do you think of the 
great work done by Miss Barton? " Resolved: That a philan- 
thropist like Miss Barton can do more good in the world than a mil- 
lionaire." Would you take the affirmative or the negative of this 
question? Give briefly the arguments you would present in support 
of your opinion. 




Thomas A. Edison 

1847— 



The Growth of the United States. There is an old saying 
that a nation is happiest if it has no history. In this the word 
" history " means wars and disturbances and conflicts. The 
idea is that when a country is quietly attending to its business, 
and is not troubled by anything unusual or remarkable, then it 
is most prosperous and its people most happy. 

Such was the history of the United States from the end of 
the Civil -War to the short, sharp war of 1898. To tell the 
story of our country during that long period is to give an 
account of quiet but rapid growth ; of important and tiniversal 
improvements in the condition of the people. 

The country has grown in size, in population, in the number 
of the States and in the amount and character of its business. 
The condition of the people has been bettered by the increase 
of comforts in the homes, in the shops and offices, and in travel. 
A like history has never before been known. 

In 1865 the area of the United States was a little over three 
million square miles. Soon after the Civil War we bought 
of Russia the great territory of Alaska, which added six hun- 



304 



THOMAS A. EDISON. 



305 



dred thousand square miles more. At first this new region 
was thought to be almost worthless, but the trade in seal 
skins has proved large enough to pay for the country. Be- 
sides, Alaska abounds in lumber, and its fisheries are valuable. 
Recent discoveries of gold drew great numbers of people to 
these cold regions of the north. 

Immigration. The population of the Jnited States has 
doubled since the Civil War. This has been a remarkable 
growth, and it is due some- 
what to the large number 
of people who have come to 
this country since the close 
of that war. About one 
sixth of all the people in 
the United States to-day 
were born in foreign coun- 
tries. 

These immigrants have 
come from Great Britain 
and Ireland, from Ger- 
many, from Norway and 
Sweden, from Russia, from 
Spain and Portugal, from 
Italy and Austria, from 
China and Japan. They 
have come from near and 
from far; from all the civilized countries of the world and 
from many of those not civilized. They have come because 
they believed that life in the United States was easier and 
happier than in their home countries. They have come in 
great numbers and they have been cordially welcomed, for 
the most part. 




GOLD HUNTERS IN ALASKA. 



306 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

The States. When the Civil War was over, there were 
thirty-six States members of the Union, Twenty-six of 
these were east of the Mississippi River, having the same names 
and bounds as to-day. The great river was bordered on its 
west side by a row of five States, extending from Canada to the 
Gulf. Two States, Texas and Kansas, reached out farther 
iArestward, and then barren plain and mountain of almost 
endless extent must be crossed to reach the three Pacific 
States. 

Now the thirty-six States have become forty-eight. The 
Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, and Washington form the 
northern tier of States; Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, 
Utah, and Oklahoma make the central line of communi- 
cation between the center of the country and the Pacific 
Coast. Arizona and New Mexico, which until recently were 
territories, have lately been admitted to the Union, thus 
making our great nation a solid body of States from ocean to 
ocean. 

New Territory. The year 1898 marked another expanse in 
our national area. The islands of Hawaii were annexed at 
their own request. Porto Rico and the Philippines were the 
prizes of war. Suddenly, from a nation confined to a con- 
tinent, we have swept forth, south and west, and made 
territorial colonies of some of the richest islands of the seas. 

Prosperity. When we stop to consider the growth of this 
country in business lines we find an interesting story that would 
take volumes to tell. In agriculture the change is remarkable. 
Grain is almost raised by machinery. In place of horse- 
plows and hand rakes and scythes, the steam plow, sowers, 
reapers, and binders have come. Work is done by wholesale. 

In commerce, great steamers have obtained the business 
of the world. In manufactures, new and greatly improved 



THOMAS A. EDISON. 307 

machinery produces cheaper and better products. In mining, 
iron, copper gold, silver, and other ores have been obtained 
in great quantities and with increasing ease and cheapness. 
In nearly all kinds of business the last thirty years have 
entirely changed processes and results. 

The Results of Inventions. To what is this growth of the 
United States in comfort and prosperity due? Much of it is 
the result of invention. Perhaps in no other respect has the 
American mind more easily shown itself superior to that of 
other countries than in its inventive genius. We have read of 
Fulton and his steamboat. Just as interesting is the account 
of Eli Whitney and the cotton-gin. 

The story of Samuel Slater and the introduction of cotton 
manufacturing into this country would interest any one. 
The steam locomotive was an English invention which 
America at once adopted. Our improved day coaches, sleep- 
ing-cars, and dining-cars are due to American ingenuity. 
The valuable air-brake was invented by an American. Our 
own Morse devised the electric telegraph. 

Edison as a Newsboy. One of the greatest of American 
inventors is Thomas A. Edison. Though born in Ohio, young 
Edison spent much of his boyhood in the State of Michigan. 
At an early age he was thrown upon his own resources, and for 
some time he earned his living as a newsboy on the railroad 
train running between Detroit and Port Huron. 

While in this employment the fifteen-year-old lad gave an 
illustration of shrewdness that indicated the coming man. 
One of the great battles of the Civil War had just been fought, 
and the Detroit evening papers were filled with its details. 
Young Edison had the news of the battle telegraphed to the 
various villages along the line of the railroad and posted in 
conspicuous places upon bulletin boards. 



3o8 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY, 



Then he obtained a thousand copies of the paper and took 
the evening train as usual for Port Huron. At the first station, 
where he usually had two customers, he quickly sold forty 
papers. At another station he found a crowd waiting, eagerly 
demanding the papers, and gladly paying ten cents, or double 
the usual price, for a copy. 

Each station platform was packed, as the train arrived, 
with a throng seeking an account of the battle. When he 
reached the end of his route and was walking the mile 
between the depot and the village, he was met by a crowd of 
people coming to meet him. All wanted papers; all were 
afraid that he would not bring enough, and, therefore, all 

came to get a paper as early as pos- 
sible. He had no difficulty in selling 
all he had at twenty-five cents a copy. 
His Heroism. Most of Edison's in- 
ventive work has been connected with 
electricity. It was an act of bravery 
on the part of the newsboy that 
gave him his first insight into 
telegraphy and started him on 
his famous career. At one of the 
stations where his train made a 
long stop, the little child of the 
station-master was playing on 
the platform. The child left the 
platform and sat down on the 
track to play in the sand. A 
freight car was rapidly coming down the rails when Edison 
saw the child's danger and sprang to the rescue. The time 
was short, but the lad was agile and the child was saved, 
though the car just grazed young Edison as it passed. 




YOUNG EDISON SELLING PAPERS 
AT 25 CENTS A COPY. 



THOMAS A. EDISON. 309 

Learns Telegraphy. The father desired to reward the hero, 
and offered to teach him how to telegraph, promising that in 
three months he should be ready for a good position. Edison 
quickly assented, and for ten days appeared promptly for the 
lesson. Then he was missed for a few days, and when he again 
appeared he brought with him a small set of telegraph instru- 
ments which he had himself made. 

Long before the three months were finished Edison had 
learned the work. He obtained a position as telegraph oper- 
ator, though still but fifteen years of age, at a salary of twenty- 
five dollars a month. His work was so satisfactory that he 
soon obtained better positions, and before he was eighteen 
his salary had become five times as large as at first. 

During these years Edison worked hard, and never lost 
an opportunity to improve himself. While regularly attending 
to his night work at the office, he found time to devote to other 
matters. First, he read. He used the public library; he 
spent his surplus wages on books. 

One day he purchased an entire set of Faraday's works 
on electricity, brought them home at three o'clock in the 
morning, and breakfast- time found him still reading them. 

His Experiments. Besides, he continued his experiments, 
rigging up laboratories in every place where he was at work — 
a plan which he had begun while a newsboy, making use of 
one of the old cars. 

Another day, while Edison was having a vacation, which 
he was spending at home, he went down by the side of the 
river. This he found to be a raging current, filled with huge 
cakes of ice, which were causing great destruction wherever 
they were throw^n. There was no possible means of com- 
munication across the river between Port Huron and Samia; 
even the wires under the river would not cany messages. 



3IO 



FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



A sudden thought sent Edison to a near-by locomotive, 
and in a moment long and short toots were sounding out the 
telegraphic signals, " Hello, Sarnia; Sarnia, do you get what 
I say?" With eager expectation the people listened for a 
reply. Again Edison sent out the words from the shrill 
whistle of the locomotive. After a time came a response from 
an engine across the river. In this peculiar way messages 
were sent between the towns until the flood went down and the 
cable was repaired. 

His Skill Tested. When Edison was twenty-one he secured 
a position in a telegraph office in Boston. Here he was at once 
compelled to show the material of which he was made. He was 

set to work to receive a long 
message from New York. At 
the other end of the line was 
the most rapid sender of the 
office. The Boston boys ex- 
pected to show this " young 
chap from the Woolly West," 
as they at first called him, 
that he knew but little about 
telegraphy. 

The message began slowly, 
but soon it came with greater 
and greater rapidity. Yet the 
young man had no trouble. 
After a time the words were 
coming about as fast as any 
operator could write them down. 

Edison glanced up and saw that every man in the room 
was standing behind him. He knew then that they were 
testing him. He kept on writing the message in a clear 




EDISON TESTED BY THE NEW YORK 
OPERATOR. 



THOMAS A. EDISON. 3II 

hand, though he occasionally stopped a moment to sharpen 
a pencil. The New York operator, surprised at the ease 
with which his message was being taken, began to slur his 
words — to have too small spaces between them. But Edison 
was used to that also, and calmly continued writing. 

At last, when he had shown every one that he most cer- 
tainly did understand telegraphy, he stopped and ticked a 
message to New York, asking why the operator did not work 
a little faster. Edison's position in the Boston office was 
never questioned afterward. 

The Stock-printer. But Edison had no intention of remain- 
ing a telegraph operator all his life. He kept on with his 
studies and experiments. One of these brought him good 
fortune. He made a stock-printer • — a machine used in stock 
exchanges for recording the price of stocks. When he went to 
New York, having finished his engagement in Boston, he was 
wandering through the city and happened into the Stock 
Exchange. It was the famous ' ' Black Friday, ' ' which brought 
business ruin to many thousands. Everything was in the 
greatest confusion, and every one was more than ever depend- 
ent on the printed stock-lists. 

Just at this minute the stock-quotation printer broke 
down. The managers were almost crazed. They had no 
idea what was the trouble. Edison glanced at the machine, 
saw the trouble, and told the managers. The printer was 
repaired and began to work at once. Edison was the hero of 
the hour, and the next day was given charge of the machine 
at a salary nearly three times as large as he had ever received. 
He now began to be known to the world. 

" The Wizard of Menlo Park." His life from that time until 
the present is somewhat known to everybody. His first 
manufacturing establishment was at Newark, New Jersey. 



312 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

Three years later he removed to Menlo Park, about twenty-five 
miles from New York City. His works here and the wonderful 
inventions that came from this factory brought to Edison the 
title of " The Wizard of Menlo Park." After ten years he 
moved again, and his establishment at Orange, New Jersey, is 
almost one of the wonders of the world. 

His Inventions. It would take a large book to describe the 
inventions that have been the result of Edison's work. A few 
of the best known only may be mentioned. He experimented 
with the telegraph, and step by step perfected the duplex, 
the quadruplex, and sextuplex systems of telegraphing. By the 
first a message can be sent each way over a single wire at the 
same time; by the second, two messages, and by the third, 
three messages, each way, at once. In other words, under 
the sextuplex system, one wire will do the work of six wires 
under former conditions. 

Edison invented the transmitter which is universally used 
to-day in connection with the Bell telephone ; the microphone, 
for magnifying sound, so that a very low sound can be plainly 
heard at some distance; the megaphone, for long-distance 
speaking; the phonograph, for recording sound and repeating 
it ; the mimeograph, for making many copies from one writing ; 
the kinetoscope, for reproducing views of bodies in action ; the 
phonokinetoscope, adding sound to sight, so that one may see 
and hear a play or an opera which has previously taken place, 
— these are some of Edison's inventions. 

" The Wizard " is also noted for being the first to send 
telegraphic messages from moving trains; for making one of 
the earUest electric railroads; for perfecting the incandescent 
electric light. 

A Persistent Search. Something of Edison's persistency is 
shown in this connection. At first he used a platinum wire in 



THOMAS A. EDISON. 313 

the little electric lamp. He wanted something better. He 
wanted some form of bamboo or other vegetable fiber. He 
sent a man to explore China and Japan for bamboo. He sent 
another, who traveled twenty-three hundred miles up the 
Amazon River and finally reached the Pacific Ocean, searching 
for bamboo. He sent a third to Ceylon to spend years in a 
similar search. Eighty varieties of bamboo and three thou- 
sand specimens of other vegetable fiber were brought him. 
He tested them all ; three or four were found suitable. 

Such has been the life of this modern inventor, one of the 
men who are rapidly changing the world by the ingenuity of 
their inventions. They are having a large share in this work, 
but all other laborers have their share also. The America of 
Benjamin Franklin was greatly unlike that of John Smith ; the 
United States that Abraham Lincoln knew was not the United 
States over which Washington was President; and the Re- 
public in the days of Hay and Roosevelt is vastly superior 
to the nation in the days of the Civil War. 

It depends upon the boys and girls who are in school to-day 
to determine what shall be the condition of the United States 
— nay, even of the world — thirty years hence. 

Describe the growth of the United States in area; in population; 
in number of States ; in business. 

Give a brief list of American inventors. 

Give accotxnts of Edison as a newsboy; as a hero; as a telegraph 
operator. 

Tell the story of the telegraphic whistle; of the Boston operator; 
of the New York incident. 

Briefly mention some of Edison's great inventions. 

Do you think that the United States will ever have a greater area 
than at present? Ought all immigrants to this country to be welcomed 
to-day? Why are not the territories made vStates? Does agricultural 
machinery make dearer or cheaper foods? Of the stories told here 
about Edison, which showed qviick thought? Which showed business 
ability? Which showed experience and practice? 




CHAPTER XXXVIII 




John Hay 

1838-1905 



Theodore Roosevelt 

1858- 



Nations Closely Allied. During the first part of the twen- 
tieth century the whole world has become so closely allied 
that whatever affects one country influences all the rest. 
Transatlantic lines of steamships are so numerous that 
Europe and America are drawn very near together. The 
Mayflower was over two months coming from Old England 
to New England. Now steamers have been from Queens- 
town to New York in less than five days. The important 
ports of all countries have their lines of steamers plying reg- 
ularly to other parts of the world. 

Besides being able to reach any other point on the globe in 
a comparatively short time, we can send an instantaneous 
message by the submarine cable to almost any country. The 
Marconi wireless invention has enabled us to communicate 
with all reasonably large vessels at sea, and wireless stations 
have been built at convenient locations in most civilized 
parts of the world. This wonderful invention has saved 
many lives. 

314 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 315 

Railroads. In our own country there has grown up such a 
network of railroads that we have but little territory that is 
really isolated. The Pacific slope, which was considered 
unavailable for the United States because of the Rocky 
Mountains, until Marcus Whitman carried over his caravan 
of more than eight hundred persons, is now reached by half 
a dozen or more railroads and the length of the continent 
from east to west can be traversed in four days, in luxurious 
sleeping cars, with a dining car attached, where substantial 
meals are served. 

Much of the desert in the western part of our country has 
been reclaimed by irrigation, and probably much more will 
become productive through the same means. 

Even the small islands off the coast of Florida are con- 
nected by a railroad which has been built from island to 
island to Key West, the farthermost of those coral islands. 
Between Key West and Cuba, a line of transports, or ferries, 
has been established so that now early fruits and vegetables 
can be sent in a remarkably short space of time from Havana 
to New York. 

Trolley Cars. All of our large cities have elaborate systems 
of trolley lines connecting the various parts of the city and 
also running out into the suburbs. Many sections of the 
country have longer lines of trolleys connecting the various 
cities and towns. In some places electric locomotives are 
being used, and these will probably increase in number. 

Subways, Tunnels, and Elevated Roads. The problem of 
caring for the traffic in large cities has become difficult and 
complicated. Most of the persons employed within the city 
live outside its center. Some arrangement must be made to 
convey these vast crowds in and out, during the morning and 
evening hours, before and after work. To accomplish this, 



3l6 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

elaborate and costly systems of elevated roads, tunnels, and 
subways have been devised. Our cities are honeycombed 
with these subways; our streets are like beehives, filled with 
people coming and going, and always in a hurry. Life has 
become wonderfully complex, and there seems to be no time 
for leisure. All this has changed the country and its needs. 

Our Immigrants. We have already seen how immigrants 
from all parts of the world have flocked to this land. It is a 
difficult task to teach them our aims and ideals, to imbue 
them with correct ideas of liberty and democratic govern- 
ment, and to fit them for good citizenship. In order better 
to accomplish this, many philanthropic schemes have been 
adopted. Settlement houses have been opened in such parts 
of our cities as are densely populated by the foreigners. 
Here have established themselves trained workers who are 
interested in the betterment of the foreign population. They 
live among this population thus illustrating a better manner 
of life. They have classes in which various trades and house- 
hold economics are taught. Lessons in English are given 
and the general welfare of the people is cared for. 

There are a number of schools in which men and women 
are trained to give the most efficient help to those who are 
ignorant of the ways of our country, and there are many 
kinds of social service performed throughout the country. 

Foreign Relations. With the growth of the country in ter- 
ritory, population, and power, the need for wise leadership 
has increased. The tremendous influx of immigrants from 
many countries of Europe and Asia has called for sagacious 
foresight on the part of those who direct our affairs of 
government. This is necessary both in regard to affairs at 
home, and also in regard to our relation with foreign coun- 
tries. One of our most illustrious and successful statesmen 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 317 

was John Hay. To his remarkable skill and tactfulness in 
dealing with foreign nations, the United States owes a great 
debt. 

John Hay. John Hay was born in Salem, Indiana, in 
1838. When he was three years of age his father, Dr. 
Charles Hay, moved to the quaint old town of Warsaw, on 
the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Here he built a 
house on the brow of the bluff, commanding a wide view up 
and down the river. From the veranda could be seen three 
states, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. From these heights 
John Hay viewed the sunsets, which he afterwards described 
as "more beautiful than those of Italy." 

He attended school at the little brick schoolhouse until he 
was twelve years of age. Later when it was abandoned for 
school purposes and there was talk of tearing it down, Mr. 
Hay made a protest and out of deference to his wishes it was 
allowed to stand. He was an intelligent, studious boy with 
a taste for language, composition, and versifying. His school 
studies were supplemented by the study of Latin and Greek 
with his father at home. He was distinguished from other 
boys by his marvelous memory and his capacity for acquiring 
knowledge. By the time he was twelve years of age he had 
read six books of Virgil, learned some Greek, and acquired 
a speaking knowledge of German. 

Further Schooling. At the age of thirteen he went to live 
with an uncle. Colonel Milton Hay, in Pittsfield, Illinois, 
and attended a private classical school kept by Mr, and Mrs. 
John D. Thomson. He is spoken of at that time as "a red- 
cheeked, black-eyed, sunshiney boy, chock full of fun and 
humor and devilment that hurt nobody." 

Later his uncle sent him^ to Brown University, Providence, 
R. I. "He at once took rank among the brightest boys in 



3l8 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

the college. In those days all text was memorized, and it 
was the general opinion that Hay put his books under his 
pillow and had the contents thereof absorbed and digested by 
morning, for he was never seen 'digging,' or doing any other 
act or thing that could be construed into hard study." He 
was graduated from Brown at the age of nineteen, in the class 
of 1858, which was noted for its famous men. 

Association with Lincoln. Colonel Hay had left Pittsfield 
for Springfield, where he was practising law with Abraham 
Lincoln. It was arranged that John should study law with 
his uncle and thus he was brought in contact with that won- 
derful man who afterward freed the slaves of this country 
and at the same time held the states together as one coun- 
try. The extent of the influence of Lincoln upon John Hay 
cannot be estimated; neither can we know how far the 
younger man helped and sustained the older one in his tre- 
mendous task. We know, however, that Hay became his 
private secretary, and that his residence at the White House 
and the extraordinary duties that fell to his lot brought him 
into close personal relations with all the public men of the 
time. 

Diplomatic Career. John Hay was Secretary of Legation 
at Paris and also at Madrid. He was Charge d''affaircs at 
Vienna, Assistant Secretary of State, and later Ambassador 
to England. His eighteen months as Ambassador at the 
Court of Saint James paved the way for the Anglo-Saxon 
alliance which saved us so much embarrassment when the 
war with Spain became inevitable, and undoubtedly pre- 
served the Philippines from the covetous grasp of Germany. 
His diplomatic career is extraordinary, and the triumphs he 
won by his clear vision, his tact, and his understanding of 
the temper of the nations, has never been equaled. 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 



319 



His Fame. John Hay's fame was twofold. He was known 
to the literary world, while still a boy; and he won his place 
as a master of diplomacy and a director of the world policies 
after he had reached the age when most men retire from mil- 
itary and naval service. His forty years of public life had 
given him a better training than any other American diplo- 
mat ever had, with the possible exception of John Qiiincy 
Adams. 

It was fortunate for this country that a man of his breadth, 
caliber, and philanthropy was raised up at just such a time. 
With the complicated life of nations it is very essential that we 
have far-seeing, broad-minded, 
thoroughly philanthropic men at 
the head of the nation, men who 
are willing to give their best 
efforts to the wisest and most 
just administration of the govern- 
ment of our country. He died 
in 1905. 

McKinley and Hay. In 1897, 
Major McKinley became Presi- 
dent of the United States. The 
next year he appointed John Hay 
as his Secretary of State. He 
could not have chosen a better 
man for the position. All through 

the War with Spain the two worked together for the wel- 
fare of our country, as well as for that of Cuba, and to keep 
our relations with the foreign powers friendly and peaceful. 

McKinley as a Man. President McKinley was greatly be- 
loved by the people. He had shown himself a man to be 
trusted, always at his post of duty, a man whom nothing 




WILLIAM Mckinley. 



320 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 



seemed to ruffle. It was fortunate that the nation had at its 

head a man who could control himself and could control 

the nation. A pretty story is told of him when he reached 

Washington for the inaugural. As he 

walked down the platfoim past the 

train, he looked up at the engineer 

who, dirty and grimy, was leaning from 

the window of the cab. With a smile 

the President took the flower from 

the buttonhole of his 

coat and passed it to 

the man who had 

safely brought him 

and his party from 

Canton. 

The Boxer Uprising. 
The Spanish war was 
not the only difficulty 
that came to the nation 
during the jNIcKinley 
administration. There 
were the tariff and the 
silver questions, trea- 
ties with England in re- 
gard to the Nicaragua 
Canal and the Alaskan 

boundary, and, perhaps over-capping them all, the insiirrec- 
tion in China. In 1900 there was a fearful uprising in China 
against all foreigners and against all Chinamen who had 
adopted foreign customs. The Boxers, as the rebels were 
called, murdered many foreigners and destroyed much 




Mckinley and the engineer. 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 32 1 

property. It was necessary that the different nations should 
protect their people and their interests, as the Chinese gov- 
ernment was either powerless or unwilling to do so. The 
United States and the leading nations of Europe sent a joint 
army to China, which fought its way to Pekin, the capital, and 
captured it. Until the insurrection was over and the Chinese 
government had resumed control, this international army 
preserved order. During these trying times the course of the 
United States was such as to win the admiration and applause 
of the world. When the rioters were put down and terms 
were discussed for the settlement of damages, our govern- 
ment, through our Secretary of State, proposed a policy quite 
different from that advocated by the European powers. 
There was danger that a part of the territory of China would 
be demanded by the nations whose subjects had suffered. 
The United States firmly insisted that the territory of China 
should not be divided; that China must pay a proper indem- 
nity for property destroyed and lives lost, and must punish 
the instigators of the movement; but that she should lose no 
territory. This policy prevailed through the work of John 
Hay, who also arranged that all Chinese ports should be 
open to the trades of all nations. This arrangement, called 
"The Open Door," was a brilliant diplomatic achievement. 
John Hay's course throughout this whole difficulty reflected 
great credit upon himself and upon our country. 

Increased Power of the United States. In fact, the treatment 
of the many questions that have come before the nation in the 
close of the last and the beginning of the present century has 
strengthened the power of the republic and raised its reputa- 
tion in the eyes of the world. The time seems to have come 
when we are no longer to be looked upon as a small nation, 
separate from European civilization. It is clear that hence- 



322 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

forth we are to be counted a part of the world, with world- 
wide interests, and that whatever affects humanity concerns 
us. "God has locked the nations together. No nation can 
longer be indifferent to the others," were significant words in 
President McKinley's last speech. 

Death of McKinley. In September, 1901, the life of this 
well-loved, upright, and faithful president was cut short by 
an assassin, an anarchist who was opposed to all rulers. 
President McKinley was sincerely mourned by his Own people 
and by all nations of the world. 

Roosevelt's Life. Theodore Roosevelt was born in 1858. 
He is a graduate of Harvard College, a cultured scholar, 
the author of many books, showing a broad mind and high 
character. When he once entered public life he rose rapidly. 
At the age of twenty-four he was United States Civil Service 
Commissioner; and a little later was appointed President of 
the New York Police Board. From this position he rose to 
that of Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In the war with 
Spain he was Colonel of the "Rough Riders"; and he was 
elected Vice-President in 1900, at the age of forty-two. On 
the death of President McKinley he took the oath and became 
President. This was September 14, 1901. He was elected 
President in 1904 by the largest majority ever accorded a 
candidate. Five times in our history has the Vice-President 
been called to exercise the office of President because of the 
death of the latter. Theodore Roosevelt was the first Vice- 
President thus serving out the term of office of another Pres- 
ident to be elected to serve as President for another term of 
four years. 

The Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. Over half a century ago our 
government made a treaty with Great Britain concerning 
any interoceanic canal that might be built across the Amer- 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 323 

ican Isthmus. Early in this century the United States wished 
to build a canal across this isthmus. Through the efforts of 
John Hay the old treaty was annulled and a new treaty made, 
which provided that the canal, when built, should be con- 
trolled by the United States, but that it should be open to 
"vessels of commerce and of war of all nations on terms of 
entire equality." Thus the way was opened for our govern- 
ment to build a water route between the Pacific and the 
Atlantic Oceans. 

The Panama Canal. This gigantic enterprise was largely 
the outgrowth of the war with Spain. Its value and, indeed, 
its absolute necessity was seen, when it became important for 
the great war vessel The Oregon to return from the Pacific 
Ocean to engage in the war with Spain. She was obliged 
to make the long voyage around Cape Horn. This was a 
concrete illustration of the value of a canal across the 
Isthmus of Panama. 

When it is finished at a cost of several hundred million 
dollars it will be of immense aid to the commerce of the en- 
tire world. It is hoped that it will also, to a great extent, 
promote the peace of the world and increase good will among 
all its inhabitants. 

Russia and Japan. After the Chinese insurrection had 
been put down, the foreign nations withdrew their forces, 
according to the agreement, except Russia. Japan feared 
that Russia meant to hold the Chinese Province of Manchuria. 
As this would seriously interfere with her commerce and de- 
velopment and her influence in China, Japan sent a protest 
to the Czar asking that the Russian troops be removed. 
The Czar refused to heed this request and Japan declared 
war against Russia. President Roosevelt offered his ser- 
vices as peacemaker. The two belligerents sent commis- 



324 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

sioners to the United States. They met in the city of 
Portsmonth, New Hampshire, and there negotiated their 
treaty of peace. This was greatly to the credit of President 
Roosevelt and our country. On its account the famous Nobel 
prize of $40,000 was given to Roosevelt. With the money he 
endowed the Foundation for the Promotion of Industrial Peace. 

President Roosevelt, at the close of his administration, 
traveled extensively. While in England and on the con- 
tinent of Europe he met many high in authority in various 
countries, and friendly, relationships were confirmed by his 
visits. Thus the. kindly feeling between the United States 
and other nations has been strengthened. 

Taft's Administration. In 1909 William H. Taft became 
president and much advance was made during his four years 
as the head of the government. One important problem 
that President Taft attempted to rectify was that of Trusts. 
A trust is a corporation formed by the union of several com- 
panies. As the trust controls the market in its given line 
of goods, it could fix the price for which its goods should be 
sold. The people felt that these prices were too high, and 
as the trusts often controlled necessities of life, it became 
important that these prices should be lowered. Previous to 
this time a law had been passed which declared, in effect, 
that all combinations and agreements made for the purpose 
of controlling the output and sale of goods and of fixing 
prices are unlawful and are liable to punishment by fine or 
imprisonment. President Taft relentlessly pursued corpora- 
tions which he thought were violating this law. The accept- 
ance of money given for party purposes with the expectation 
on the part of the donor of obtaining political influence and 
the use of official position for private gain were persistently 
frowned upon. 



JOHN HAY — THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 325 

Advance Movements. During this same administration 
many important improvements were made. Among these 
might be noted the Postal Savings Banks, which enabled 
the people of the country to deposit small savings at certain 
post offices, and know that their money so placed was abso- 
lutely safe. The Parcel Post permits the sending through 
the mail of farm and factory products, books, and all matter 
not classed as first, second or third class mail matter at cer- 
tain fixed rates according to distance. The country has been 
divided into zones, and the rate is uniform in each zone. In 
the first two zones the limit of weight is fifty pounds, and in 
the other zones it is twenty pounds. This regulation has 
proved of especial benefit in supplying our cities with the 
products of the country at reasonable rates. 

The massing of large numbers of people in commercial and 
manufacturing centers furnishes difficult problems. Many 
of the most ignorant foreign-born voters are found in such 
centers and being without intelligent ideas about our gov- 
ernment, they can the more readily be induced to sell their 
votes. Widespread movements for better government have 
been inaugurated and popular opinion is becoming strong 
along these lines. President Taft introduced into the con- 
duct of the Federal Government many methods of economy 
and efficiency, and converted a deficit of $58,000,000 into an 
annual surplus of nearly $50,000,000. 

Democrats in Power. For a period of fifty years, the Re- 
publicans had been in power most of the time. In 1913 
Woodrow Wilson, a democrat, became president. Not only 
was the executive head a democrat, but the legislative power 
was also democratic. This changed the general policy of 
the nation in many important particulars. The most im- 
portant change related to the tariff, which hitherto had been 



326 FIRST STEPS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. 

a protective tariff. The party now in power favored a tariff 
for revenue only. An extra session of Congress was at once 
called and after much discussion a new schedule of rates was 
adopted. Later a new bill was passed which provided that 
certain banks should serve as centers for various regions of 
the country, which should be able to draw on each other in 
time of need, thus equalizing the monetary condition of the 
country. 

Troubles in Mexico. Previous to the inauguration of Pres- 
ident Wilson troubles had arisen in the government of the 
Republic of Mexico. President Huerta * had come into 
power on the assassination of Madero, the previous presi- 
dent. The rebellion against the Huerta government has 
gone on until nearly all of northern Mexico is under the 
control of the rebels, or as they call themselves " the Consti- 
tutionalists." Our president has favored the retirement of 
Huerta and the election of a new president by the people. 
Huerta refused to withdraw and the fighting has been con- 
tinued to the present time (1914). 

What the outcome will be, no one can foretell. Most of 
the Americans who were living in Mexico have returned to 
this country, and other foreigners have gone home in large 
numbers. Business in Mexico has largely come to a stand- 
still. 

Present Prospects. The growth of our country and the 
rapid increase of its population and of its business have 
astonished all mankind. To-day it is doubtless true that we 
are the strongest and most important nation of the world. 
The young people in school to-day will soon control affairs 
in this gigantic nation. In their maturity they will need 
more education and better disciplined minds than their 

* Pronounced "Werta." 



JOHN HAY THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 327 

fathers required. Business is more complicated than form- 
erly and success requires more thought and skill than in the 
past. 

America means opportunity. It means opportunity to get 
wealth, power, influence, and honor. It means opportunity 
to make the most of one's powers of body and mind. But 
more than all else, it means opportunity to make this country 
better by honest, faithful service, and sincere efforts to know 
the truth, and to help on international peace and good will 
among all the nations of the world. 

Give the reasons why distances do not seem as great as they once did. 

Tell what is being done for our immigrants. 

Give an account of the life of John Hay. 

Describe the trouble in China. 

Give an account of the life of Roosevelt. 

Describe the Panama Canal and give some of its advantages. 

State the meaning of "Trusts," and tell why people dislike them. 

Which do you think of greater importance the submarine cable or wireless 
telegraphy? It is said that when the Romans became luxurious their government 
became effete and lost its power. Is there danger of a similar catastrophe in our 
country? Why is it necessary to teach our foreign element our aims and ideals? 
How did contact with Lincoln help to prepare John Hay for his wonderful career? 
What is the meaning of the " Open Door? " Why should the United States inter- 
fere between Russia and Japan? What is the difference in the policy of a demo- 
cratic administration from that of a republican administration? How will the 
new Currency Bill establishing Regional Banks help to prevent a panic? Why 
is it necessary that boys and girls should be more thoroughly educated than ever 
before? What do you think of America as a country in which to live? 



Books for Outside Reading 

Butterworih — Young Folks' History of America. Markham — Colonial Days. 
Wright — Children's Stories in American History. Lodge and Roosevelt — Hero Tales 
from American History. MacCoun — Historical Geography of the United States. 

Hale — Stories of Discovery. Kingston — Notable Voyages. Abbott — American 
Pioneers and Patriots. Abbott — Ferdinand de Soto. Higginson — American 
Explorers. Henty — Under Drake's Flag. Towle — Sir Walter Raleigh. Cooke — 
Stories of the Old Dominion. Cooke — My Lady Pocahontas. Hart — Colonial 
Children. 

Bacon — Historical Pilgrimages in New England. Hawthorne — Grandfather's 
Chair; Twice-Told Tales. Moore — Pilgrims and Puritans. Abbott — Myles Standish. 
Gilman — The Story of Boston. 'Moore — From Colony to Commonwealth. Smith 
(Mary P. Wells) — Boy Captives of Old Deerfield; Young Puritans of Old Hadley. 
Abbott — Peter Stuyvesant. Irving — Sketch Book. Kennedy — Rob of the Bowl. 
Watson — The Great Peacemaker. Drake — Indian History for Young Folks. 
Catherwood — Story of Tonty. Henty — With Wolfe in Canada. 

Watson — Boston Tea Party. Greene — Peter and Polly. Preble — History of 
the Flag. Woodman — Boys and Girls of the Revolution. Fiske — Washington and 
His Country. Henty — True to the Flag. Coffin — Boys of '76. Abbott — Blue- 
Jackets of '76, Watson — The Friend of George Washington. Mayhew — Young 
Benjamin Franklin. Wilkins — Adventures of Ann. Seawell — Paul Jones. 
Brooks — The True Story of Lafayette. Varney — The Story of Patriot's Day. 
Stoddard — Two Cadets with Washington. Abbott — Daniel Boone. Coffin — • 
Building the Nation. Upton — Our Early Presidents, their Wives and Children. 
Hale — Philip Nolan's Friends. 

Knox — Life of Robert Fulton. Hale — Stories of Inventions. Lossing — Story 
of the United States Navy. Abbott — Blue-Jackets of 1812. Soley — Boys of 1812. 
Eggleston — Big Brother. Seawell — Twelve Naval Captains. 

Brooks — Boy Settlers. Eggleston — Hoosier Schoolboy. Monroe — Golden Days 
of '49. Irving — Astoria. Brooks — Boy Emigrants. Wright — Children's Stories 
of American Progress. Field — Story of the Atlantic Telegraph. 

Butierworth — In the Boyhood of Lincoln. Brooks — Abraham Lincoln. Coffin 
— Drum Beat of the Nation. Henty — With Lee in Virginia. Adams — Our 
Standard Bearer. Page — Two Little Confederates. Coffin — Redeeming the 
Republic. Soley — Sailor Boys of '61. Abbott — Blue-Jackets of '6r. Miss 
Nicolay — The Boyhood of Lincoln. Abbott — Blue-Jackets of '98. Brooks — Story 
of our War with Spain. Kaler — Boys of '98. Stratemeyer — American Boys' Life 
of William McKinley; American Boys' Life of Theodore Roosevelt. 

32S 



Index 



Adams, Samuel, 114, 116, 119; his great 

work, 123. 
Adams and Jefferson, Death of, 184. 
American life, Changes in, 209. 
Authors, American, 290. 

Baltimore, Lord, 83; religious persecution, 
84; St. Mary's, 86; religious toleration, 86. 

Barton, Clara, 292, 295; her work in the 
Civil War, 296; in Europe, 297; the 
Red Cross Society, 297; in Turkey, 
299; in Cuba, 299; in the Spanish 
War, 301; a minister of mercy, 302. 

Barton, Colonel, 135. 

JBoston, 68. 

Boxer uprising, 320. 

Bradford, William, 56, 57. 

British Army, in New York, 134; in New 
Jersey, 135. 

Bunker Hill, 129. 

Burgoyne's campaign, 136. 

Cabinet, The first, 174. 

Cabot, John, 30; the mainland discovered, 
31; his rewards, 33; the second voy- 
age, 33; the fisheries, 34; the claim of 
England, 34. 

Calhoun, John C , 210; national problems, 
210; poHtical parties, 211; quarrels 
with Jackson, 212; his influence, 213; 
compared with Clay and Webster, 220. 

California, 226; a free State, 228. 

Calvert, Sir George, 83. 

Civil War, 253. 

Clark, George Rogers, 159, 160; in Ken- 
tucky, 160; midnight flight, 161; plan 
to capture the Northwest, 163; visits 
Patrick Henry, 163; down the Ohio, 



163; capture of Kaskaskia, 165; march 
to Vincennes, 165; conquest of the North- 
west territory, 166. 

Clay, Henry, 208; compromise, 208; na- 
tional problems, 210; political parties, 
211; biography, 213; brilliant career, 
214; a great orator, 214; Missouri Com- 
promise, 215; Compromise of 1850, 
216; compared with Calhoun and Web- 
ster, 220. 

Cole, Hugh, loo. 

Colonies, The New England, 74; growth ■ 
of, 114; England taxes them, 115. 

Columbus, Christopher, 15; boyhood, 15; 
the map that he studied, 17; aid sought 
from Spain, 19; his first voyage, 22; fear 
of the sailors, 23; the discovery, 24; 
the Indians, 25; the return, 26; the 
second voyage, 26; his death, 28. 

Conant, Roger, 64. 

Concord Bridge, 127. 

Confederate commanders, 258. 

Confederate States, 257. 

Connecticut constitution, 73. 

Continental Congress, proposed, 120; first 
congress, 121; second congress, 121. 

Cornwallis surrendered, 147. 

Cowpens, Battle of, 145. 

Cuba, 322. 

Dare, Virginia, 45. 

Decatur, Stephen, 192; war with Tripoli, 
192; his early life, 193; captures the 
Macedonian, 194; Jack Creamer, 194; 
other victories, 198. 

Declaration of Independence, 122. 

Dix, Dorothea L., 294. 

Dutch, explorations, 76; settlements, 77. 



329 



330 



INDEX. 



Eastern, The Great, 243. 

Edison, Thomas A., 304; a newsboy, 307; 
his heroism, 308; leams telegraphy, 
309; his experiments, 309; his skill 
tested, 310; the stock-printer, 311; 
"the Wizard of Menlo Park," 311; his 
inventions, 312; a persistent search, 312. 

English explorations, 42. 

Enthusiasm for exploration, 36. 

Farragut, David G., 273; his boyhood, 
274; commands a fleet, 274; captures 
New Orleans, 275; battle of Mobile 
Bay, 276; the first American admiral, 
276; his ancestors, 278. 

Federal convention, 171. 

Field, Cyrus W., the ocean cable, 242. 

First English Colony, 43. 

Forty-niners in California, 227. 

France, loses her American possessions, 
hi; treaty with, 136. 

.Franklin, Benjamin, 148; and the apple 
woman, 149; his dream, 149; entrance 
into Philadelphia, 150; Miss Read, 
150; in London, 150; "Poor Richard's Al- 
manac," 151; inventions, 152; patriotism, 
152; in France, 153; treaty of peace 
153; Constitutional Convention, 154, 155; 
his death, 157. 

French explorations, 76. 

Fulton, Robert, 186; the first steamboats, 
187; his early Hfe, 188; failure of his 
boat at Paris, 189; success, the Cler- 
mont, 189. 

General Court of Massachusetts, 120. 

Gettysburg, Battle of, 261. 

Gold, Discovery of, 226. 

Grant, Ulysses S., 265; early manhood, 
265; capture of Fort Donelson, 266; 
Vicksburg, 267; the Wilderness, 267; 
Lee's surrender, 267; end of Civil War, 
268; results of the war, 269; slavery 
abolished, 269; national growth, 270; 
his later years, 271; his tomb, 272. 



Grasse, Count de, 146, 147. 

Greene, Nathanael, his thirst for knowl- 
edge, 142; Quaker soldier, 143; goes 
to Boston, 143; proposes independ- 
ence, 144; at Valley Forge, 144. 

Hamilton, Alexander, i58; patriots meet 
in New York, 168; speech in New York, 
169; controls a mob, 169; aide to 
Washington, 170; his work, 174. 

Hay, John, 317; with Lincoln, 318; diplo- 
matic career, 318; his fame, 319. 

Holland, FUght of the Puritans to, 57. 

Hooker, Thomas, 72; the Connecticut 
colony, 72; the first written constitu- 
tion, 73. 

Houston, Samuel, 222; free and slave 
States, 222; brief biography, 223; Texan 
independence, 223; annexation of Texas, 
224; war with Mexico, 225. 

Hudson, Henry, 75. 

Immigrants, 316. 

Indians, The, 25; hostiUty of, 43. 

Jackson, Andrew, 201; a young rebel, 
201; hard times, 201; his boyhood, 
202; a busy lawyer, 263; "Old 
Hickory," 204; war with Creek Indians, 
204; battle of New Orleans, 205; his 
popularity, 206; elected President, 207; 
nullification, 207; Clay's compromise. 
208. 

Jackson, Helen Hunt, 293. 

Jamestown, 49. 

JeSerson, Thomas, 176; at Williams- 
burg, 176; in the Continental Con- 
gress, 178; governor of Virginia, 178; 
President, 179; tries to buy New Or- 
leans, 179; Napoleon's plan, 180; 
Marbois visits Livingston, 181; Louisi- 
ana ceded to the United States, 182; 
price paid for Louisiana, 184. 

Jefferson and Adams, Death of, 184. 

Johnstown flood, 298. 



INDEX. 



331 



Kaskaskia, Capture of, 164. 
Kentucky, Life in, 161. 
King's Mountain, 145. 

La Salle, Cavalier de, loi; strenuous life, 
102; resolute purpose, 102; Louisiana, 
103; misfortunes, 103; his death, 104. 

Lee, Robert E., 257; Confederate States, 
257; Confederate commanders, 258; leader 
of the Confederate army, 259; invades 
the north, 261; Gettysburg, 261; a citizen 
after the war, 263. 

Lexington, Expedition to, British 251; 
arrive there, 127. 

Libraries, Public, 290. 

Lincoln, Abraham, 245; his ancestors, 245; 
his boyhood, 246; his first dollar, 247; 
pioneer life, 247 ; struggle for an education, 
248; early manhood, 249; studies law, 
250; debate with Douglas, 251; slavery, 
252; Southern States secede, 252; Fort 
Sumter, 253; Civil War, 253; his states- 
manship, 254; speech at Gettysburg, 254; 
tribute of Castelar, 255. 

Livingston, Robert R., buys Louisiana, 181. 

Lost Colony, The, 46. 

Louisiana, 103. 

Mann, Horace, 280; his early life, 280; 
Secretary of Massachusetts Board of Edu- 
cation, 280; the American public schools, 
281; old-time schools, 282; a spelling les- 
son, 283; spelling school, 284; discipline 
285; modern methods, 286. 

Maryland, 84. 

Mason and Dixon's line, 87. 

McKinley, William, 319; a thoughtful 
deed, 320; elected President, 319; the 
Boxer uprising, 320; increased power of 
the United States, 321; his assassination 
322. 

Mediterranean pirates, 198. 

Mexico, War with, 225. 

Monitor and Mcrrimac, 260. 

Monmouth, Battle of, 138. 



Morse, Samuel F. B., 237; conversation 
between Benjamin West and George III, 
237; invents the telegraph, 238; appro- 
priation from Congress, 239; the first mes- 
sage, 240; value of the telegraph demon- 
strated, 241. 

Nations closely allied, 314. 

Naumkeag, 64. 

New England Colonies, 74. 

New York adopts the Constitution, 171. 

Northwest territory, Conquest of, 166. 

Ohio, Valley of the, 162. 

Paine, Thomas, 122; "Common Sense," 122. 

Panama Canal, 323. 

Patriotism, Lessons in, 291. ■- 

Peninsular Campaign, 260. 

Penn, William, 88; the king's debt, 90; city 
of brotherly love, 92; treaty with the 
Indians, 92. 

Pennsylvania, 91. 

Persecution under Elizabeth, 56. 

PhiUp, King, 95; the war with, 95; Captain 
Church, 96; capture of Anna wan, 97; 
his royalties, 98. 

Pilgrims, The, 58; the voyage of, sq; the 
Compact, 60; the first winter, 60; Governor 
Bradford, 60; the Indians, 6i; the chal- 
lenge, 62. 

Pocahontas, 52. 

Polo, Marco, 17. 

Prescott, General, Capture of, 135. 

Presidential election. The first, 172. 

President's inauguration. The first, i73- 

Products of the New World, 44. 

Puritans, The, 64. 

Quakers, 88; persecution, 88. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 41; and Queen Elizabeth, 

41; his second-colony, 45. 
Revere, Paul, 124; midnight ride of, 126. 
Roosevelt, Theodore, 322; takes the oath 



332 



INDEX. 



as President, 322; Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, 
322; Russia and Japan, 323; Panama 
Canal, 323. 
Ross, Betsy, 136. 

San Francisco Earthquake, 331. 

Schools, 281; the American public, 281; 
spelling school, 284; discipline, 285; the 
three R's, 285; modern methods, 286; 
preparatory schools, 287; colleges, 287; 
education of women, 288; technical schools, 
288. 

Scrooby Separatists, The, 56. 

Secession, 252. 

Smith, John, 48; his voyage, 40; early ad- 
ventures, so; a wise leader, 51; explora- 
tions, 52; father of Virginia, 54. 

Soto, Ferdinand de, 36; his long march, 37; 
the Mississippi discovered, sg; his death 
and burial, 39. 

Spanish cruelty, 38. 

Stamp Act, 115; Congress, 116. 

Stars and Stripes, 136. 

Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 293; "Uncle Tom's 
Cabin," 293. 

Stuyvesant, Peter, 75; an able governor, 
77; prosperity, 78; quarrel with the 
Swedes, 79; English claims, 80; resistance 
useless, 81; New York, 81. 

Sumter, Fort, 253. 

Taft's Administration, 324. 
Tea, Tax on, 116; party, 119. 
Texas, Annexation of, 224. 

United States. The growth of, 304; Immigra- 
tion, 305; the several States, 306; new 
territory, 306; prosperity, 306; the results 
of inventions, 307. 



Valley Forge, 136. 
Vergennes's prophecy, 113. 
Vincennes, 165. 
Virginia, 43; company, The, 48. 

Washington, George, Commander-in-Chief, 
121, 129, 133; a distinguished Virginian, 
131; boyhood, 132; manhood, 132; at 
prayer, 138; elected President, 139; a 
majestic figure, 141; FrankUn's toast, 
"Joshua of Old," 141. 

Webster, Daniel, 217; his early life, 217; 
political life, 217; debate with Hayne, 218; 
Dartmouth college case, 219; as an orator, 
220; compared with Clay and Calhoun, 220. 

Whitman, Dr. Marcus, 230; our claims to 
Oregon, 230; missionary to the Indians, 
231; "the ride for Oregon," 232; at the 
Grand River, 233; a fire under difficulties, 
233; in Washington, 234; emigrants of 
1843 to Oregon, 234; Indian massacre, 
235; Oregon to-day, 235. 

W^illiams, Roger, 69; his banishment, 69; the 
wilderness, 70; Providence 70; religious 
freedom, 71. 

Willard, Frances E., 295. 

Wilson, Woodrow, 325; troubles in Mexico, 
326. 

Winthrop, John, 64; early settlements, 64; 
Endicott pear tree, 65; reinforcements, 66; 
Governor, 66; Boston, 68. 

Wolfe, James, 106; French and Indian War, 
106; decisive battle, 106; his appearance, 
107; at Quebec, 108; repeats Gray's 
"Elegy," 109; the battle, 109; his death, 
II I ; death of Montcalm, iii. 

Women, Distinguished, 294. 

Yorktown, 146. 



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